ARM-Net: Alzheimer’s Recovery Micro-TNT Network HTGAA 2026 Individual Final Project Documentation
SECTION 1: ABSTRACT Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) remains a critical challenge due to the failure of the brain’s innate clearance mechanisms to effectively remove toxic Amyloid-beta ($A\beta$) and Tau protein aggregates. This “clearance bottleneck” leads to progressive neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. The overall goal of ARM-Net (Alzheimer’s Recovery Micro-TNT Network) is to overcome this limitation by engineering microglia—the brain’s primary immune cells—to physically “pull” and clear these aggregates from neurons through stabilized intercellular bridges known as Tunneling Nanotubes (TNTs).