Grant: Project Grant

With an aging population, the incidence of dementia and neurodegenerative disease in Canada is on the rise. There are more than 750 000 Canadians currently living with Alzheimer's disease making it the most common form of dementia. Globally, there are roughly 6-7 million new Alzheimer's disease diagnoses each year and a roughly equal number of people dying from this disease. For these patients, there are only a few treatment options available, and even the best available medicines are unable to stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease leading to progressive memory loss and disability. Our work aims to develop new therapeutics that inhibit the activity of NUDT5 - a newly discovered protein that lies at the center of neurodegenerative processes related to Alzheimer's disease. Our team has recently identified promising inhibitors of NUDT5 that block cellular signaling events stemming from biological stressors that cause neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Our efforts have produced new compounds that are non-toxic and reach therapeutic concentrations in the brain of mouse models. This application seeks to improve the stability and safety profile of our top compounds to identify candidates that may be used for future testing in clinical trials. Our collaborative research team consists of researchers with expertise in Alzheimer's disease, dementia and neurodegenerative processes, as well as drug discovery and development. Through this project we hope to develop new treatments for Alzheimer's disease and help improve the quality and length of life for patients battling this debilitating disease.