Longevity & AgingNeurolipid Atlas Maps Brain Fat Signatures Across Alzheimer's and Other Diseases
Researchers launched the Neurolipid Atlas, an open-access database populated with lipidomics data from iPSC-derived brain cells, human brain tissue, and mouse models covering multiple neurodegenerative diseases. The platform revealed that neurons, microglia, and astrocytes each carry distinct lipid fingerprints that mirror in vivo biology. A standout finding: the Alzheimer's risk gene ApoE4 drives cholesterol ester accumulation specifically in astrocytes—a pattern also seen in human AD brain tissue. Multiomics follow-up linked this cholesterol dysregulation to impaired immunoproteasome function and MHC class I antigen presentation, implicating lipid metabolism in astrocyte-driven neuroinflammation. The atlas is publicly available and accepts community data submissions.
