• Scientific Symposiums • Field Trips & Lab Visits • Request for Proposals • Board Guidance • Project Reviews • Trusted Advisors

OUR RESEARCH PARTNERS

THE ALZHEIMER’S GENOME PROJECT

The Alzheimer’s Genome Project (AGP) launched in 2005 to advance the genetic work to identify the origins and progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. The AGP is using genomic analytic tools to create and mine databases of the genetic codes of tens of thousands of individuals to identify which variants impact the risk of Alzheimer’s or its presentation.

Phase I identified more than 100 new gene variants implicated in Alzheimer’s risk. Phase II used wet lab projects to identify which pathways play a role for these genes, including amyloid beta protein generation, tangle formation, the regulation of planned cell death, and more.

Phase III is now being carried out in parallel to Phase II, and includes sequencing the genes of both early-onset and late-onset families. Gene regulation is emerging as a key question because it can change as an organism ages and in response to environment. These tools offer new opportunities for understanding and intervening in Alzheimer’s Disease.

Dr. Rudy Tanzi

Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Director of the Genetics & Aging Research Unit Vice Chair of Neurology Massachusetts General Hospital. Chairman of Cure Alzheimer's Fund Leadership Group.

PATHOGENIC MECHANISMS IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Dr George S Bloom

Professor of Biology, Cell Biology and Neuroscience University of Virginia

Research in the Bloom Laboratory is focused on the earliest steps that cause Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), including cognitive decline and abnormal structures in the brain. The goal of the Laboratory is to define the biochemical processes that connect these things, and leverage our findings to develop more effective therapeutic and diagnostic tools.

One of our discoveries was that memantine, an FDA-approved drug for mild and temporary symptom relief for advanced AD, might prevent or delay symptoms if provided to patients at risk of AD beginning many years before the symptomatic phase of the disease typically begins.

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OUR RESEARCH PARTNERS

DISCOVERING AND UNDERSTANDING NEW MEDICINE

The primary research focus of the Lazo Laboratory is on discovering new drugs and understanding their mechanism of action with a special emphasis on cancer and neurodegeneration.

Our research on Alzheimer's disease explores the mechanisms causing the death of neurons, especially the intracellular signals that cause aberrant DNA replication in terminally differentiated neurons and the ways in which we might prevent this pathological phenomenon. We use automated single cell microscopy, induced pluripotent human stem cells, messenger RNA sequencing and computational methodologies to investigate the pathways involved in cell cycle re-entry and chemical libraries to identify new lead compounds for further study.

Most recently, we have developed novel experimental platforms that should enable the rapid screening of human neuronal cultures for new agents that might be used to treat individuals with Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. John S Lazo

Professor, Pharmacology and Chemistry, University of Virginia School of Medicine

INFLAMATION AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Dr. Grammas was the inaugural holder of the Thomas M. Ryan Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and inaugural Executive Director of the Ryan Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rhode Island.

An international leader in the study of Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Grammas is best known for her pioneering research into the role that blood vessels and inflammation play in the development of diseases, including Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. She has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on more than $24 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, Rick Sharp Alzheimer’s Foundation and other agencies and foundations. She has published 143 peer-reviewed research papers. Dr. Grammas received the Zenith Award from the Alzheimer’s Association in recognition of her accomplishments as one of the nation’s leading researchers on Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Paula Grammas

Inaugural Thomas M. Ryan Professor of Neuroscience and Executive Director of the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rhode Island

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THE JOHNS HOPKINS APPROACH TO PRECISION MEDICINE

OUR RESEARCH PARTNERS

Recognizing the importance of precision medicine in the future, Johns Hopkins launched the Precision Medicine Centers of Excellence (PMCoE), involving a deep bench of clinicians, scientists, engineers, and others to each focus on a particular disease. The PMCoE in Alzheimer’s Disease (PMCoE-AD) was founded in 2019.

The core hypothesis at the PMCoE-AD is the existence of a finite number set of relevant Alzheimer’s subtypes that can be defined using genetic, biologic, and other factors. The ultimate goal is to translate research into knowledge, leading to clinical care that impacts the different trajectories of Alzheimer’s Disease, and the development of specific therapeutics based on a new understanding of the disease mechanisms.

The PMCoE-AD convenes top clinicians and researchers from such fields as psychiatry, neurology, geriatric medicine, radiology, and more. Using their combined wisdom and the immense data set from Johns Hopkins, they can recommend targeted medications and other treatments. These lead to some “early wins” and more novel treatments.

The PMCoE-AD is affiliated with the Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center (MATC) at Johns Hopkins Bayview. Thanks to its reputation for cutting-edge care for patients, it attracts over 700 patients each year. Most allow access to their medical records to expand MATC research. Among those records are almost 2,000 MRI scans, other brain imagery and laboratory results, and clinical care data.

The Center is led by Constantine Lyketsos, MD, MHS, and the Elizabeth Plank Althouse Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease Research. He founded and directs the MATC and is the associate director of the AD Research Center. A world authority in treatment development for Alzheimer’s, he has been awarded for his work, authored numerous articles and books, and been cited over 45,000 times. He has been a Castle-Connolly Top Doctor since 2001.

Why I do this work: I am a doctor above all. For 25 years I've been at the front lines of treating people with dementia and their families. When I entered the field there was great optimism that major cures for brain diseases were "just around the corner." This phrase seemed to echo for a decade and a half at scientific meetings, NIH grant review committees, and the media. I have not heard that echo in quite a while. It has been replaced by silent apprehension derived from major disappointment in the outcome of the (amyloid) bets our field has taken.The advances of the last 2 ½ decades relate to (1) how much better we are at taking care of patients and (2) understanding how complex Alzheimer's dementia is, so that it can no longer be considered a unitary entity. I am in this fight to make sure that the best possible care is widely available every day for all, and to influence the field to move towards understanding scientifically the various types of Alzheimer's that are therapeutically relevant. The Johns Hopkins Precision Medicine Center of Excellence, which I have envisioned for the past five years, is all about meeting these priorities.

Dr. Constantine Lyketsos

Chair of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

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