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The National Institute on Aging awarded a grant of nearly $ 3 million to a professor at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine to study how aging increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and studying treatments that may delay or prevent it.
"The main risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is age," said Marcia Gordon, first researcher in the study and a professor of translational science and molecular medicine. "I'm trying to understand how the old brain is more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease."
She believes the answer lies in the senescent cells – the old ones, which are still alive but are no longer able to divide.
"Some people call them zombie cells," said Gordon. "These cells stop performing their normal functions and begin to emit signals that may trigger unwanted changes in the brain, including the agglutination of beta-amyloid protein and the entanglements of another gene called tau. "
According to the Alzheimer's Association, of 5.7 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease, 5.5 million are over 65 years old. Ten per cent of people over 65 have Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. At age 85, the rate reaches 40%.
"We believe that if we slow down the biological aging of brain cells, we will slow down the rate of disease progression," said Gordon.
As part of the five-year grant, it will examine ways to delay this biological aging and deplete the number of senescent cells. Possible treatments include calorie limitation, which previous research has shown is badociated with longevity. Rapamycin, a drug commonly prescribed for immunosuppression in transplant patients, has also shown some potential for longer life.
Among the co-investigators in the study are Scott Counts, Associate Professor, and David Morgan, Professor in the Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine. The enumerated patients will obtain brain tissue samples donated by deceased Alzheimer's patients and, using an advanced technique called laser capture microscopy, will search for biomarkers to identify senescent cells.
The possible link between senescent cells and Alzheimer's disease is a relatively new area of research.
"I'm lucky to be in the vanguard," Gordon said.
Morgan, who will help badyze the data, admits he was skeptical when he first heard senescent cells as being able to contribute to Alzheimer's disease.
"I thought it was a strange approach," he said, but "more and more data support this approach."
Currently, there is no cure or effective cure for the disease.
"We have to think outside the box if we want to do something for Alzheimer's disease," Morgan said.
The purpose of the study is not to find the fountain of youth, Gordon said, nor even to cure Alzheimer's disease. Few widely eradicated diseases, including smallpox, have not been cured, but have been prevented, she noted.
"It would be wonderful if we found a cure," said Gordon. "But it's a lot easier to prevent an illness than treat it once you've contracted it."
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