Defining The Mechanisms By Which ABCA7 And ApoE Control Alzheimer's Disease Risk. Functional Characterisation Of New Therapeutic Targets For Dementia Prevention And Treatment.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$687,975.00
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the major cause of dementia and is currently without a curative treatment. An understanding of the pathways that lead to AD is urgently required to develop approaches for treatments. We have discovered new pathways by which proteins called ApoE and ABCA7 control AD. We now aim to define precisely how these proteins work in the brain and use this information to develop therapeutic approaches to treat AD in humans.
I am a neuroscientist-biochemist-cell biologist determining the mechanisms by which lipids and lipid transporters regulate neurodegeneration and vascular disease. I have recently developed a prototype drug that shows promise as a novel therapeutic approach for Alzheimer's disease.
Isoform-dependent ApoE Processing By Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. A Novel Pathway Linking APOE Genotype And Alzheimer’s Disease Risk.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$429,495.00
Summary
We recently discovered that a protein called apoE is cleaved in the brain to generate a small fragment that may have neuroprotective properties. We also discovered that human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons produce apoE fragments identical to those in the brain. We will now characterise iPSC apoE and assess its neuroprotective properties. This will resolve the basis for the association of apoE with AD risk and potentially provide a new target for AD treatment.