Abraham and Mellott Receive Grant Funding from the Alzheimer’s Association
BUSM researchers Carmela R. Abraham, PhD and Tiffany Mellott, PhD have been awarded grants from the Alzheimer’s Association. Dr. Abraham received $200,000 to support her current research on drug therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Mellott, was granted $80,000 to support her current research on a naturally-occurring brain chemical which may have Alzheimer-preventing properties. The study, called “The effects of perinatal choline supplementation on AD models,” explores the uses of the chemical choline on the brain.
Drs. Abraham and Mellott were presented with their grant awards at a recent ceremony attended by representatives from the Alzheimer’s Association as well as BUSM, where both have research labs. Watch excerpts
Dr. Abraham’s study, “Modulators of APP Dimerization as Novel Therapeutics for Alzheimer’s Disease,” looks into the potential effects of drugs that would inhibit key cell degeneration in the brain resulting from the toxicity exerted by the amyloid beta protein and how checking this process could be used to slow the progression or even stop the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Abeta protein is derived from the Amyloid Precursor Protein, or APP. APP dimerization, or the coming together of two APP molecules, was shown to affect the production of the toxic Abeta protein. Abeta aggregation and the plaques it creates lead to the destruction of brain cells and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. By stopping dimerization, it is hoped that the plaques won’t be formed and nerve cell degeneration can be avoided.
Dr. Abraham, a professor of Biochemistry at the Boston University School of Medicine, received her PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University after completing undergraduate studies at Israel’s Tel Aviv University. Her work has been featured in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Elsevier’s Encyclopedia of Neuroscience and the American Journal of Pathology, among others.
Dr. Mellott, a research assistant professor at Boston University’s Pathology and Laboratory Medicine department, received her degree Boston University School of Medicine for pathology and neuroscience. She has published many studies regarding the use of choline to combat Alzheimer’s and Alzheimer-related diseases.
Choline, a brain chemical linked to spatial learning and memory, is supplied to the developing baby by the mother while in the womb. Choline supplementation can increase the level of factors that support the survival and regeneration of synapses in the brain, according to Mellott’s work. Synapses, being the sites of transmission of the brain’s chemical messengers, are unable to be repaired naturally by the body once they are lost, which could be a partial cause of Alzheimer’s disease dementia manifestations.
The Alzheimer’s Association research grants program, which has awarded over $279 million since 1982, funds investigations that advance understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, and furthers knowledge of brain health and disease prevention.
“It is only through adept research and tireless dedication by those such as Dr. Abraham and Dr. Mellott that huge strides have been made in our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, and it is by these efforts that a cure will be discovered” said James Wessler, President & CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter. “The Alzheimer’s Association is proud to support those aligned with the cause.”
The Alzheimer’s Association is a nationwide group dedicated to providing programs and services to those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and their families.