Home Department: Bioengineering
Mentor: Annelise Barron (Bioengineering)

"LL-37 Inhibition of TLR-induced Pyroptosis in Neuronal Cells by Caspase-Dependent Gasdermin Activation"

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder defined by significant neuronal loss and profound cognitive decline, representing a major unmet clinical need. Emerging evidence implicates pyroptosis, an inflammatory form of programmed cell death, as a critical mediator of AD pathology. This inflammation is often driven by the receptor Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which is activated by AD biomarkers like amyloid-beta. While the innate immune peptide LL-37 is known to inhibit general TLR4 signaling, its precise effect on the downstream caspase-dependent pyroptosis pathway in vulnerable neuronal cells is unknown. This project aims to rigorously establish LL-37 as a targeted inhibitor of this specific TLR4-induced cell death mechanism, thereby defining a novel anti-inflammatory strategy for AD treatment.