Repeated traumatic mind accidents (TBI) in troopers and navy personnel could cause behavioral, neurological, and cognitive results and result in dementia. There’s at present no remedy for that sort of dementia, however a $308,000 grant from the US Division of Protection goals to assist researchers on the College of Tennessee Well being Science Middle discover one.
TBI can result in the event of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), a progressive course of marked by atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes. FTD is likely one of the most typical causes of dementia in folks underneath the age of 65.
Principal investigator Mohammad Moshahid Khan, PhD, affiliate professor within the Division of Neurology, and co-investigator Tayebeh Pourmotabbed, PhD, professor within the Division of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, are engaged on a venture to search out the primary therapeutic intervention to stop frontotemporal dementia or sluggish its development in a mouse mannequin linked with the situation.
The group is aiming to make use of a novel gene remedy known as DNAzymes to focus on pathological tau aggregates, which trigger frontotemporal dementia and its ensuing cognitive impairment and progressive neuropathological signs. The group is inspecting the efficient dose, frequency, and length of remedy in addition to its potential in decreasing neurodegeneration and behavioral deficits in mice.
Our preliminary information counsel that DNAzyme is a novel therapeutic strategy and has nice potential for stopping the buildup of pathological tau. The outcomes of this proposal can be foundational for future research inspecting the scientific use of DNAzyme for different neurological illnesses related to traumatic mind harm and different tauopathies.”
dr Mohammad Moshahid Khan, PhD, affiliate professor within the Division of Neurology
“DNAzyme is a robust gene remedy method that can be utilized to stop manufacturing of proteins related to illnesses, like tau protein in Alzheimer’s illness and dementia,” Dr. Pourmotabbed stated. “We’ve got used DNAzyme as a possible remedy for breast most cancers, glioma, and Huntington’s illness in preclinical animal fashions with nice success. Hopefully, with using DNAzyme expertise, we might be capable to scale back the danger of dementia after traumatic mind harm in veterans and different people that take care of this debilitating illness.”
sources:
College of Tennessee Well being Science Middle
