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91制片厂 Researchers Land $1M in FDOH Grants to Fight Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease

Alzheimer's Disease, Puzzle, Brain, Man

Three 91制片厂 researchers have received funding from the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Program to tackle this global health crisis with their unique approaches.


By gisele galoustian | 5/8/2024

Three 91制片厂 researchers at the forefront of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease (AD) research have each received a $350,000 grant from the Florida Department of Health鈥檚 鈥淓d and Ethel Moore Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Program.鈥

The Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Program was established to improve the health of Floridians by stimulating research into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care management and cure of AD.聽

Florida has the second highest incidence of AD in the nation with 580,000 people ages 65 and older living with AD. According to the Alzheimer鈥檚 Association, about 827,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in Florida, providing unpaid care for their loved ones. Furthermore, estimates project that more than 720,000 Floridians will be living with AD by 2025.

鈥淭he number of individuals impacted by Alzheimer鈥檚 disease in Florida indicates a vital need to advance research, treatment, management and care as well as prevention to enhance the quality of life for those living with cognitive impairment and to lessen the burden for their families,鈥 said Gregg Fields, Ph.D., 91制片厂 vice president for research. 鈥淲e are incredibly grateful to the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Program for providing these grants to our researchers. With this funding, they will shed light on the biological functions of AD 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 AD.鈥澛犅犅

The Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Program grant recipients, who also are members of the 91制片厂 Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute , are:

, Ph.D., an associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and director, Honors in Chemistry Program, 91制片厂 (鈥淭he Role of Glycosylation in AD Pathology鈥) 鈥 Cudic鈥檚 research aims to explore 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 in Florida and beyond.

, Ed.D., Christine E. Lynn Eminent Scholar and Professor, 91制片厂 (鈥淥nline Screening for Older Drivers with Cognitive Decline鈥) 鈥 Tappen鈥檚 research project is focused on developing and testing a rapid, easily administered screening test of older drivers who are experiencing cognitive decline. 鈥淔it2Drive Online,鈥 provides an objective, evidence-based prediction of the older adult鈥檚 ability to pass an on-road driver evaluation, which is the 鈥済old standard鈥 of older driver evaluation. The project will entail cognitive tests, which will be 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 on-road test will be uploaded on tablets and tested on up to 350 study participants. This novel screening tool is expected to benefit individuals with cognitive decline, their family caregivers and health care providers, in particular, primary care providers.

, Ph.D., an associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 91制片厂 Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, and a faculty of the David and Lynn Nicholson Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (鈥淏rain Cholesterol Dysregulation in Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease鈥) 鈥 Zhang鈥檚 research project 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鈥檚 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 鈥渙mic鈥 measurements such as transcriptomics and lipidomics. The project is expected to provide essential insight into brain cholesterol, AD pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies.

鈥淎lzheimer鈥檚 disease is an escalating global health crisis associated with enormous costs in terms of quality of life and health care,鈥 said Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D., executive director of the 91制片厂 Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, the David J.S. Nicholson Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience, and a professor of biomedical science in 91制片厂鈥檚 Schmidt College of Medicine. 鈥淔or decades, scientists around the world have been working diligently to advance our understanding of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and other related dementias and to develop effective therapies. Drs. Cudic, Tappen and Zhang are among these dedicated scientists who are poised to tackle this devasting disease with their unique approaches.鈥

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