Science

Our Research Program

The purpose of our lab’s research is to develop new therapies for neurodegenerative disease. Research focuses on discovery (what is going wrong at the level of membrane?), target (how do these lipid changes affect integral membrane protein function?), diagnostics (are circulating lipids in patients biomarkers of neurodegenerative disease progression?) and therapeutics (can existing drugs and new plant-derived compounds be repurposed to treat neurodegenerative disease?).

Discovery

Discovery

Why are subpopulations of neurons vulnerable in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Parkinson's Disease (PD)? Advances in genomics have enabled researchers to identify genetic determinants of early onset disease. Direct biochemical investigations have elucidated multiple signaling pathways altered by these mutant gene products. Further combination of genomics with proteomics is allowing researchers to map global gene and protein changes associated with progressive neurodegeneration. Together, these studies have provided remarkable insight into the molecular nature of AD and PD.

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Innovation

Innovation

Clinical trials hint at the potential of stem cell replacement strategies as stroke therapy yet longitudinal studies are conspicuous in their absence. Experimental evidence warns that activation of resident neural stem and progenitor cells (NPCs) in injured tissue can result in the integration of inappropriate cell types into damaged circuits causing further neurological complications. Attention must also be paid to the possibility that tumour stem cells can arise from the transformation of NPC populations in diseased tissue.

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Diagnostics

Diagnostics

There are no disease mechanism(s)-associated laboratory-based biomarkers in clinical use for Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Parkinson's Disease with Dementia (PDD), or Parkinson's Disease (PD). This void is detrimental to the diagnosis of our patients and their proper stratification in clinical trials. It also precludes the development of cause-directed treatment. 'State, rate, fate, and trait' biomarkers are urgently needed to improve early diagnosis (state), track disease progression (rate), predict critical endpoints (fate), and identify risk in pre-symptomatic persons (trait).

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therapeutics

Therapeutics

Our ultimate goal is to bring our discovery, target, and diagnostic research programs to clinic. Thus, a subset of NRL team members focus on identifying clinically approved drugs and medicines used by traditional healers that modify lipid and target molecule signalling and repurposing these compounds to potentially treat neurodegenerative diseases.

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