In the lab of a researcher at North Dakota State University, increasing understanding of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease and new ways to treat it are the goal.
A $3.2 million federal grant to Dr. Jagdish Singh, chair and professor in NDSU Pharmaceutical Sciences, will be used to investigate whether increasing a specific protein called VGF in the brain could help treat Alzheimer’s Disease when delivered through an I.V. or via a nasal spray.
National Institutes of Health R01 grants are among the most competitive and prestigious research funding awards. Currently, researchers in the NDSU Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences have been awarded a total of eight R01 grants.
“Increasing VGF levels in the brain could be a promising therapeutic strategy to treat Alzheimer’s disease,” explains Singh about his research. “VGF plays a critical role in learning, memory, and how physiological processes become disordered in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s,” said Singh.
An additional challenge is how to deliver such a treatment.
New neurons are formed in the brain through a process called neurogenesis. As a secreted protein synthesized by neurons in the brain, VGF promotes growth and survival of neurons important for the brain to function. VGF also impacts how your brain develops new synapses. Consider synapses as junctions or points of contact where information is transmitted between neurons. This creates connections so your brain can process information at lightning speed to control brain and body functions.
“The long-term goal of our research is to design a non-viral gene delivery carrier for efficient delivery of pVGF to the brain through intravenous and intranasal routes to prevent and treat aging-related cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s disease,” said Singh.
An estimated 6.7 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Asssociation, and more than 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International, with someone in the world developing dementia every 3 seconds.
“Dr. Singh’s research is so important to NDSU’s reputation as a leader in pharmaceutical and life sciences research,” said NDSU Vice President for Research and Creative Activity Colleen Fitzgerald. “As chair and a member of a team who is continually awarded highly competitive NIH R01 grants year after year, he has been instrumental in solidifying NDSU’s ranking as the third highest in the total of NIH funding by research faculty. Along with that group’s success with COBRE grants, his work has placed NDSU firmly within the top 20 pharmaceutical science research institutes in the nation.”
Fitzgerald noted that Singh’s history of delivering valuable health-related discoveries to the world and his ability to win important grants were both critical aspects of NDSU’s prestigious history in pharmaceutical sciences research.
Dr. Takahisa Kanekiyo, M.D., Ph.D. at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, is co-principal investigator for the NIH grant award with Dr. Singh.
This research is supported by the National Institute On Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01 AG083981. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
North Dakota State University is an R1 research institution and a place where students experience opportunities to grow, contribute and prepare for fulfilling careers. The research portfolio for the College of Health and Human Sciences includes prestigious R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health, and additional agencies and organizations, with research focused on the role of pharmaceutical sciences in disease prevention, disease treatment, and additional research to promote health.