Read about the projects funded by the Midwest Biomedical Accelerator Consortium (MBArC ) in 2025.
Precision probiotics to mitigate Alzheimer’s disease risk for asymptomatic APOE4 carriers
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, and its prevalence is higher i carriers of the APOE4 allele. This team has developed a probiotic solution that targets gut microbiome imbalances in APOE4 carriers through enhanced acetate production. Acetate, a vital SCFA, supports astrocytes to maintain healthy neurotransmission, blood-brain barrier integrity, brain metabolism, and immune homeostasis—key functions disrupted in APOE4 carriers. In Milestone 1, which is supported by MBArC, the team is optimizing the probiotic formulation.
In-silico design of humanized ToleroMab molecules
ToleroMab is a genetically engineered biological drug that halts the immune system’s adverse reactions against pancreatic beta cells allowing for restoration of insulin production and normalization of blood glucose levels. This biological is in the preclinical stage of development. The next step is to humanize the antibody and test its efficacy in a humanized diabetic mouse model. The first step in the humanization process is to design the humanized version using in-silico technology, which is the component of this project that is receiving MBArC support. The deliverable will be a nucleotide sequence of 4-6 heavy and light chains that encode a humanized version of our mouse ToleroMab molecules in an expression-ready format.
