Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Alzheimer's disease causes progressive abnormal memory loss and cognitive impairments with high prevalence in the elderly population and puts a large burden on individuals, their families, and the healthcare system. As the population ages, the number of afflicted individuals will grow rapidly, placing great urgency on finding an effective treatment, of which we currently have none. The leading hypothesis for the cause of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation and aggregation of beta amyloid protein fragments in the brain. These aggregates range in size from macroscopic plaques to soluble smaller clusters composed of small numbers of the beta amyloid fragments. Recent research shows that these smaller clusters, or oligomers, are orders of magnitude more pathogenic than plaques, which makes this fraction of beta-amyloid a much more attractive target for new therapies. My project aims to explore peptide technologies as a means for targeting beta amyloid oligomers for elimination. Currently, we know peptide sequences that have been shown to reliably and effectively cross cell membranes to bind and target proteins for degradation using a cell's native degradation pathways. With these sequences, and with binding sequences specific for oligomeric beta amyloid, we aim to target beta amyloid for clearance and examine any consequences to neural plasticity and behavior in animal models for Alzheimer's disease. The results from my project will yield insight into new therapeutic approaches to its treatment and provide a more detailed understanding into the molecular mechanisms behind Alzheimer's disease.