The Lipid Codex
Alzheimer’s is not one disease. It’s a long crime novel with multiple suspects, unreliable witnesses, and a bureaucracy that keeps wiping the fingerprints.
So I did what any reasonable person would do.
I turned the science into a thriller.
What this is
The Lipid Codex (TLC) is a serialized set of short “Case File” episodes published on Substack. Each case file is a clue, not a chapter.
When Season One is complete, I’ll stitch these files into a full manuscript with expanded scenes, deeper character threads, and the connective tissue a book requires.
And if the universe is feeling generous (or Hollywood gets bored), yes: screenplay.
Where to Read it
Case Files (Season One)
Case File 001: Imaging Suite B
The death that shouldn’t exist. CID_PROTOCOL opens. The case begins in Laconia.
→ Read on Substack
Case File 002: Containment Level
Access is revoked in real time. Security intervenes. Protocol reveals itself as power.
→ Read on Substack
New case files are released weekly and archived here as they are published.
Why lipids, and why now
For years, Alzheimer’s research was dominated by two headline villains: amyloid and tau.
But newer research keeps pointing to something messier and more human: lipid metabolism. The “fat handling” systems that keep brain cells healthy, clean, fueled, and functional.
When those systems go sideways, the whole neighborhood goes sideways.
The real point
If scientists can identify a mechanism, why don’t we have prevention?
Because Alzheimer’s isn’t a single broken part. It’s a systems failure.
Different cell types break in different ways, at different times, with different triggers, and different genetics. We can see pieces of the puzzle. We still don’t have the full picture.
And that is exactly why the Case Files exist.
Glossary
AD = Alzheimer’s disease. The diagnosis. Not the whole story.
CID = Cognitive Impairment/Dementia umbrella. Many roads, similar fog.
Microglia = the brain’s cleanup crew and security guards. They protect, they overreact, and sometimes they cause collateral damage.
Astrocytes = support cells that help keep the brain’s environment stable, and often react strongly to stress and inflammation.
Amyloid plaques = protein junk piles associated with Alzheimer’s. A hallmark, not necessarily the single cause.
Tau = a protein that can become tangled inside neurons. Another hallmark, also not the whole story.
Lipidomics = lab “forensics” that measures and identifies lipids at scale. Basically CSI, but for fats.
BMP = a lipid linked to the brain’s recycling system (lysosomes). When it builds up, it can signal the cleanup machinery is stressed or jammed.
GRN = a gene tied to brain immune function and dementia risk. In this story, it matters because it influences how microglia handle the mess.
Reader note
This series is designed for humans, not lab meetings.
If you’ve ever read an abstract and thought, “Lovely… I understood none of that,” you’re exactly who this is for.
