Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie VIB Mar 10 2026 A new study led by researchers from VIB and KU Leuven shows that immune cells called microglia can actively promote the formation of plaques in Alzheimer's disease, challenging the long-standing view that these cells serve only as defenders against plaque buildup. The findings were recently published in PNAS. "Most studies suggest that microglia are there to clean up the brain and remove the amyloid plaques. What we discovered is that