12/20/2024
Florida Atlantic: Fighting Alzheimer's Disease
Researchers to Develop Novel Therapies and Diagnostic Tools
Florida has the second highest incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the nation with 580,000 people ages 65 and older living with AD. It is estimated that more than 720,000 Floridians will be living with AD by 2025.
Three leading Florida Atlantic University researchers are helping to combat this widespread neurological disorder with support from the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). The University recently received a $1 million grant from the FDOH's Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer's Disease Research Program, established to improve the health of Floridians by stimulating research into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care management and cure of AD.
"With this important grant, our researchers will shed light on the biological functions of this disease by taking advantage of synthetic chemistry strategies; provide an innovative online screening tool for older drivers with cognitive decline; and gain a deeper understanding of the role of brain cholesterol in Alzheimer's disease," said Gregg Fields, Ph.D., vice president for research at Florida Atlantic.
The three researchers each received $350,000 in support of their novel approaches to combat AD.
Mare Cudic, Ph.D.,is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and director of the Honors in Chemistry Program in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. Her research explores the link between two emerging topics — glycosylation and neuroinflammation — in the occurrence and development of AD. Protein glycosylation plays a vital role in mediating a plethora of biological functions. Because most known AD-related molecules are either modified with glycans or play a role in glycan regulation, glycobiology represents a novel insight into understanding AD and developing potential new therapeutic approaches. Results from this work will shed light into a relatively unexplored area in AD and open avenues for development of novel therapeutic strategies to curb the alarming surge of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Ruth Tappen, Ed.D.,is the Christine E. Lynn Eminent Scholar and professor in the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. Her research focuses on developing and testing a rapid, easily administered screening test of older drivers who are experiencing cognitive decline. Fit2Drive Online provides an objective, evidencebased prediction of an older adult's ability to pass an on-road driver test, which is the gold standard of older driver evaluation. The project entails cognitive tests, which are evaluated to identify those with the greatest power to predict on-road driving performance requiring the smallest number of items and/or shortest testing time. The selected tests, comprising Fit2Drive Online along with the algorithm for predicting ability to pass the onroad test, are uploaded on tablets and tested on study participants. In a psychometric study of the new test's diagnostic accuracy, results — published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association — showed the Fit2Drive algorithm demonstrated a 91.5% predictive accuracy. This novel screening tool benefits individuals with cognitive decline, their family caregivers and their primary health care providers.
Qi Zhang, Ph.D.,is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, and a faculty member of the David and Lynn Nicholson Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research. His research is focused on brain cholesterol and dysregulation that triggers dysfunction and neurodegeneration. Since 1906, research has been focused on proteins and genes pathologically or genetically linked to AD. However, more and more new evidence has revealed abnormalities in brain lipids, especially cholesterol, which is highly enriched in the brain and crucial for neuronal function and survival. Moreover, an isoform of the cholesterol transporter APOE is the most common hereditary risk factor in AD. Zhang's team will develop novel imaging methods to explore brain cholesterol in a mouse model, employ genome editing in human stem cells, and harness the power of multi-omics, an integrative approach combining different "omic" measurements such as transcriptomics and lipidomics. The project is expected to provide essential insight into brain cholesterol, AD pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies.
"For decades, scientists around the world have been working diligently to advance our understanding of Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias and to develop effective therapies," said Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D., executive director of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, the David J.S. Nicholson Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience, and a professor of biomedical science in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. "Drs. Cudic, Tappen and Zhang are among these dedicated scientists who are poised to tackle this devasting disease with their unique approaches."
For more information, email dorcommunications@fau.edu to connect with the Research Communication team.
