Alzheimer's disease mechanisms in peripheral cells: Promises and challenges

INTRODUCTION: Development of efficacious therapeutic interventions for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is hampered by the lack of understanding early disease mechanisms, biomarkers, and models that mimic complex pathophysiology of human disease. METHODS: This article aims to assess to what extent peripheral cells recapitulate molecular mechanisms altered in the brain and could be used as translational models for the development of individualized medicine for AD. RESULTS: Multiple studies suggest that AD is a systemic disorder with an active crosstalk between brain and periphery where multiple pathways altered in the brain cells are also affected in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, and other peripheral cells of AD patients. DISCUSSION: Additional studies to validate molecular mechanisms in peripheral cells using advanced system biology techniques and well-characterized cohorts of AD patients together with the development of standardized protocols should be considered to support the application of peripheral cells in AD research.