Esteban Cruz

What is the focus of the research?

Targeting the toxic build-up of a protein that drives Alzheimer’s disease by enabling antibody treatments to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter brain cells.

Why is this important?

Many promising Alzheimer’s treatments fail because they cannot cross into the brain or reach toxic tau inside neurons. Overcoming these delivery barriers is one of the biggest challenges in developing more effective dementia treatments. This project combines two approaches: designing treatments that can better enter neurons and using focused ultrasound to temporarily open the brain’s protective barrier, so these treatments can get where they are needed. If successful, the results could revolutionise the way researchers develop tau-targeting treatments for all dementias, while also opening the door to treating other brain diseases caused by toxic proteins building up inside brain cells.

What could it mean for dementia research?

• New ways to deliver antibody treatments directly into diseased brain cells.
• A treatment method that could adapted to treat other dementias.
• Exciting progress toward more effective, disease-modifying treatments.

Dr Cruz is a research fellow at The Queensland Brain Institute, where he focuses on developing new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. His research brings together antibody engineering and therapeutic ultrasound to overcome key barriers in Alzheimer’s disease. His goal is to translate promising discoveries into effective treatments.