Home › Research › Inflammation and the immune system
Meningeal lymphatics affect microglia responses and anti-Aβ immunotherapy
Da Mesquita S, Papadopoulos Z, Dykstra T, Brase L, Farias FG, Wall M, Jiang H, Kodira CD et al.. Nature, 2021-04-28
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent cause of dementia 1 . Although there is no effective treatment for AD, passive immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies against amyloid beta (Aβ) is a promising therapeutic strategy 2,3 . Meningeal lymphatic drainage has an important role in the accumulation of Aβ in the brain 4 , but it is not known whether modulation of meningeal lymphatic function can influence the outcome of immunotherapy in AD.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Da Mesquita, S., Papadopoulos, Z., Dykstra, T., Brase, L., Farias, F. G., Wall, M., et al. (2021). Meningeal lymphatics affect microglia responses and anti-Aβ immunotherapy. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03489-0
Vancouver
Da Mesquita S, Papadopoulos Z, Dykstra T, Brase L, Farias FG, Wall M, et al. Meningeal lymphatics affect microglia responses and anti-Aβ immunotherapy. Nature. 2021. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03489-0. PMID: 33911285.
BibTeX
@article{damesquita2021-33911285,
author = {Da Mesquita, S. and Papadopoulos, Z. and Dykstra, T. and Brase, L. and Farias, F. G. and Wall, M. and Jiang, H. and Kodira, C. D. and others},
title = {{Meningeal lymphatics affect microglia responses and anti-Aβ immunotherapy}},
journal = {Nature},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1038/s41586-021-03489-0},
pmid = {33911285},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03489-0}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Although there is no effective treatment for AD, passive immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies against amyloid beta (Aβ) is a promising therapeutic strategy 2,3 .
- Meningeal lymphatic drainage has an important role in the accumulation of Aβ in the brain 4 , but it is not known whether modulation of meningeal lymphatic function can influence the outcome of immunotherapy in AD.
- Here we show that ablation of meningeal lymphatic vessels in 5xFAD mice (a mouse model of amyloid deposition that expresses five mutations found in familial AD) worsened the outcome of mice treated with anti-Aβ passive immunotherapy by exacerbating the deposition of Aβ, microgliosis, neurovascular dysfunction, and behavioural deficits.
- By contrast, therapeutic delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor C improved clearance of Aβ by monoclonal antibodies.
Why it matters
In 5xFAD mice, ablating meningeal lymphatic vessels affected microglia responses and the outcome of anti-amyloid immunotherapy. This is animal research and does not establish a treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease in humans.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 61/100
Published in a top-tier journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (Nature) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Nature: journal h-index 1,841 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2021 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 424 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 60.6 citations a year over 7 year(s) since 2021 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 35.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 10 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 260 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jonathan Kipnis: h-index 88 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 9 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 33911285) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 61 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03489-0
- PubMed: 33911285
- Original source →
- Free full text: IUScholarWorks (Indiana University) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 16.
Later studies that cite this one
10 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Inflammation and the immune system
Also tagged “tdp-43”
1,150 studies in the library carry the topic tag “tdp-43”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,150 tagged studies.