Or Shemesh, assistant professor of ophthalmology in the School of Medicine, leads a research group that is uncovering critical links between herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Alzheimer’s disease. Using a novel method called expansion microscopy, Shemesh has directly demonstrated that HSV-1 is more frequently expressed in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s, especially in regions affected by disease progression.
The team found that HSV-1 often colocalizes with tau, a key protein involved in Alzheimer’s pathology. Conventionally considered toxic, tau is reframed in this work as part of the brain’s innate immune response.
“Tau may initially act to defend neurons from viral infections,” says Shemesh, “but its persistent activation could ultimately lead to the pathology we associate with Alzheimer’s.”
Shemesh’s research not only broadens the understanding of Alzheimer’s etiology but also opens a new avenue for therapeutic development, targeting the root causes of neurodegeneration through infection biology and immune modulation.
“These findings challenge the existing paradigm of Alzheimer’s disease pathology and open the door to new targets for therapeutic development,” says Shemesh. “If we can figure out what causes Alzheimer’s, we could prevent millions of people from getting this debilitating disease.”
“These findings challenge the existing paradigm of Alzheimer’s disease pathology and open the door to new targets for therapeutic development. If we can figure out what causes Alzheimer’s, we could prevent millions of people from getting this debilitating disease.”