Neomed Duke University Collaborate On Alzheimers Research
Does being exposed to pesticides put a person at risk of developing cognitive problems, including Alzheimers Disease, later in life? A NEOMED team led by Jason Richardson, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and director of the neurodegenerative disease and aging research focus area, will join forces with researchers at Duke University, thanks to a new collaborative grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.
Taking a Multidisciplinary Approach
The National Institutes of Health Environmental Health Sciences Virtual Consortium for Translational/Transdisciplinary Environmental Research connects a NIEHS-funded researcher with two new collaborators. All three research projects explore the influence of environmental factors on the development or progression of a disease.
The idea is to pool knowledge and resources from three interrelated research studies that use complementary approaches to address the question of pesticide exposure as it relates to aging and cognitive dysfunction, says Dr. Richardson.
Dr. Richardson says the new collaboration will allow NEOMED to extend the reach of its current grant, in which his team is using humanized mice and patient-specific stem cells to understand mechanisms by which exposure to the agricultural pesticide DDT increases a persons risk of developing Alzheimers Disease.
Uncp Undergraduate Researchers Faculty Present At Alzheimers Research Symposium
UNCP undergraduate researchers Jared Tuton presented at the first Symposium for Learning about Alzheimers disease-related Medical research at Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill
UNC Pembroke faculty and undergraduate researchers presented at the first Symposium for Learning about Alzheimers disease-related Medical research at Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill on June 24-25.
The symposium was held at the Duke Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center. It was designed for researchers, clinicians and trainees from UNCP, Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University and East Carolina University.
UNCP undergraduate researchers Jared Tuton and Minh Giang presented posters on their UNCP research. Dr. Karen Farizatto, a former postdoctoral fellow in the Biotechnology Research and Training Center and Dr. Deborah Hummer, associate professor in the McKenzie-Elliott School of Nursing, were among the presenters.
Michael Almeida, lab manager of William C. Friday Laboratory & Alzheimer’s Disease Research Laboratory at UNCP, was among the speakers. Dr. Ben Bahr, William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, introduced Almeida and other speakers.
The SLAM-DUNC symposium included research presentations from Research Education Component scholars and trainees, a poster session, networking sessions and information related to Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center core resources.
UNCP is planning to host the 2023 SLAM-DUNC conference.
Speaker: Dr Shelley Mcdonald Do Phd At Duke Geriatrics
Air Date: June 30, 2022
In this presentation, Dr. McDonald focusses on ways to stay safe during a hospitalization, how to maintain cognitive function and how to optimize the hospital experience for someone living with dementia. She also talks about delirium, what it is, how to identify it and how to reduce your risk.
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Alzheimers Research In Unexpected Places
Each year Alzheimers claims the lives of 500,000 Americans and affects more than 5.2 million. These numbers are set to increase dramatically as we approach 2050, when estimates indicate they may have tripled. Given the high economic costs of the disease the RAND Corporation calculated that it may have topped two hundred billion dollars in 2013 the race is on to find viable treatment options. This has led investigators to seek subjects amongst some unlikely populations. One of those groups is individuals with Down syndrome who have a far higher propensity than others for developing the disease.
Because of their likelihood of developing Alzheimers, the population with Down is both one of the groups most likely to benefit from early therapies, and one most likely to be helpful in clinical testing of treatments. But underlying this critical work are important questions around informed consent the term used in medicine to indicate that a study participant has been appropriately warned of possible negative consequences of a course of research or treatment, and that he or she has agreed to participate. For those with Down syndrome, informed consent becomes a more complicated endeavor.
Ai Model Uses Retinal Scans To Predict Alzheimers Disease
DURHAM, N.C. A form of artificial intelligence designed to interpret a combination of retinal images was able to successfully identify a group of patients who were known to have Alzheimers disease, suggesting the approach could one day be used as a predictive tool, according to an interdisciplinary study from Duke University.
The novel computer software looks at retinal structure and blood vessels on images of the inside of the eye that have been correlated with cognitive changes.
The findings, appearing last week in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, provide proof-of-concept that machine learning analysis of certain types of retinal images has the potential to offer a non-invasive way to detect Alzheimers disease in symptomatic individuals.
Diagnosing Alzheimers disease often relies on symptoms and cognitive testing, said senior author Sharon Fekrat, M.D., retina specialist at the Duke Eye Center. Additional tests to confirm the diagnosis are invasive, expensive, and carry some risk. Having a more accessible method to identify Alzheimers could help patients in many ways, including improving diagnostic precision, allowing entry into clinical trials earlier in the disease course, and planning for necessary lifestyle adjustments.
Using that knowledge, they then trained a machine learning model, known as a convolutional neural network , using four types of retinal scans as inputs to teach a computer to discern relevant differences among images.
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Professor In Psychiatry And Behavioral Sciences
Overall Research Goals:
My research over the past decade has focused on scaling up biochemical knowledge for gaining a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders and finding ways to optimize their treatment. I have made seminal contributions to the development of the metabolomics field and applications of metabolomics for the study of drug effects, establishing foundations for Pharmacometabolomics, a discipline that complements and informs pharmacogenomics and enables Precision Medicine initiatives. Over the next five years, I will continue to expand on these directions and applications of a systems biochemical approach, hoping to contribute in significant ways to President Obamas Alzheimers Initiative as well as to Precision Medicine national and global initiatives. At the heart of my research is a deeper understanding of neuropsychiatric disease mechanisms, disease heterogeneity, and optimization of treatment for patients based on genotype, metabotype, microbiome activity and environmental influences and strategies for personalizing and optimizing treatment outcomes.
Biographical History and Educational Background:
Academic Achievements and Scholarship:
Areas of research in which I have made significant contributions include:
1) The study of metabolic impairments in neuropsychiatric diseases including depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimers disease.
Boldly Answering Today’s Neuroscience Challenges
Driven by psychiatry and neurology faculty, the DCRI’s Neurosciences Medicine program develops, conducts, and supports innovative Phase IIV clinical trials addressing neurological and psychiatric conditions for pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patient populations.
Our experienced and consistent clinical operations teams expertly manage all aspects of neurosciences medicine clinical trials, including:
- Early-phase PK/PD and POC trials, conducted in our onsite phase I unit
- Game and device/sham-controlled trial design and conduct
- Nerve conduction studies and electromyography
- Neuroimaging
- Immune monitoring: mechanistic and predictive biomarkers
- Translational studies
- Full-service CRO activities
Our Clinical Research Expertise
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
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Alzheimers Association Nc Chapter Education Programs
The North Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimers Association has a variety of webinars coming up over the next few weeks.
Thrive with Pride Monthly Series: Discusses various topics related to brain health, caregiving, and unique issues that impact the LGBTQ+ community. Click here to view flyer. Register by calling 1-800-272-3900.
Into the Deep End: Dementia, Veterans, and Caregiving Series. This 4-part series focuses on challenges that caregivers may face every day, with special emphasis on issues unique to Veterans. Click here to view flyer. Register by calling 1-800-272-3900.
Duke/unc Awarded Grant To Establish Joint Alzheimers Disease Research Center
The NIH-funded center of excellence will focus on identifying early changes in dementia and factors driving disparities
DURHAM, N.C. Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been awarded funds from the National Institutes of Health to establish a prestigious Alzheimers Disease Research Center , part of a federally-funded national network of similar centers.
The research center, one of 33 nationwide, will focus on identifying age-related changes across the lifespan that impact the development, progression and experience of Alzheimers and related dementias. The center will also identify how factors that arise in early- and mid-life contribute to racial, ethnic and geographic disparities in dementia.
NIH funding for the joint Duke/UNC center is expected to total $14.8 million over the next five years.
The new ADRC unites two extraordinary institutions in the effort to prevent, delay and treat Alzheimers by focusing on the known risk factors, including race, age, female sex and genetic predisposition, said Rich OBrien, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Neurology at Duke University School of Medicine. We’ll also greatly advance our understanding of the brain and how it changes across the lifespan.”
Whitson and Garden said the NIH funding will enable teams from both institutions to engage local communities with new hypotheses about Alzheimers disease. Specific projects for local community members to consider participation include:
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Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers
The National Institute on Aging funds 33 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers at major medical institutions across the United States. Researchers at these Centers are working to translate research advances into improved diagnosis and care for people with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as working to find a treatment or way to prevent Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. In addition, NIA funds four Exploratory ADRCs that are designed to expand and diversify research and education opportunities to new areas of the country, new populations, and new areas of science and approaches to research.
For people and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, the ADRCs offer:
- Help with obtaining diagnosis and medical management
- Information about Alzheimer’s and related dementias, services, and resources
- Opportunities for volunteers to participate in clinical trials and studies and research registries
- Support groups and other special programs for volunteers and their families
What We Do
The Alzheimer Gut Microbiome Project is an initiative to define the role of complex interconnections involving the diet, exposome, lifestyle influences, gut microbiome, and genome on the metabolome to inform about individuality, vulnerability, and unique trajectories of Alzheimers disease.
Drs. Rima Kaddurah-Daouk , Rob Knight , and Sarkis Mazmanian lead this initiative that involves over 40 scientists from 13 major academic research institutions across the US and Europe.
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