A multidisciplinary team has developed a selective compound that inhibits an enzyme tied to inflammation in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s, while preserving normal brain function and crossing the blood-brain barrier.

The findings are published in the journal npj Drug Discovery.

The driver is an enzyme called calcium-dependent phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). The team discovered its role in brain inflammation by studying people who carry the APOE4 gene —the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. While many people who have the APOE4 gene don’t develop the disease, those with elevated levels of cPLA2 generally do.