Continuing coverage: A team of scientists at UTMB recently investigated a new way to treat multiple forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Inside the brain cells of dementia patients, “tau protein,” which is normally involved in microtuble formation to allow transport of nutrients and waste throughout the cell, accumulates and interferes with cell-to-cell communications. Previous testing from the same team showed that TOMA was effective in halting the spread of toxic tau oligomers; these results were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Explained Diana Castillo-Carranza, “New evidence suggests that in Alzheimer’s disease the pathology is spread through the brain from one area to another by oligomeric tau. Here we are showing that TOMA antibody has the ability to protect the brain from tau toxic aggregates.” The news also appears in Medical News Today, the Indian Express, Medical Xpress and Bay Area Citizen.