ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE Powered by funds from the M&M Program and the Alzheimer’s Association , Nick Cochran and his team are working to better understand a gene known to be involved in Alzheimer’s disease. The APP gene provides instructions for amyloid protein, the protein that clumps into damaging plaques around neurons that are a hallmark of the disease. By studying how APP is turned on or off, Dr. Cochran and his team hope to better understand the role it plays in Alzheimer’s disease risk and shed light on ways to regulate
through the American Parkinson’s Disease Association to study the gene SNCA . This gene provides instructions for a protein called alpha-synuclein that forms damaging Lewy bodies in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients. By better understanding how SNCA is turned on or off, Rogers hopes to untangle the mysteries behind Parkinson’s disease risk and identify potential targets for new or existing treatments. This year, researchers in the Myers lab launched a study in conjunction with the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine to identify a biomarker linked to Parkinson’s disease. Patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, as well as unaffect- ed members of their family or friends, may enroll at the clinic to donate samples for the study. Nearly 100 samples have already been collected, but there is room for more if you or someone you know may be interested in enrolling. Learn more at hudsonalpha.org/parkinsons-research.
the gene through potential therapeutics. PARKINSON’S DISEASE
The Cochran and Myers labs are committed to advancing Parkinson’s disease research. Bri Rogers, PhD, a Postdoc- toral Fellow in the Cochran lab, is leading research funded
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THE ABILITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF APP IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE IS EXCITING. THIS KNOWLEDGE COULD LEAD TO MORE EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS OR EARLIER DIAGNOSES FOR PATIENTS EVERYWHERE. WE ARE DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF THE COUNTLESS INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY
THIS DEVASTATING DISEASE. NICK COCHRAN, PHD FACULTY INVESTIGATOR
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THE GENETIC CAUSES BEHIND DISEASES OF THE BRAIN ARE QUITE COMPLEX, BUT GENOMICS IS A POWERFUL TOOL THAT ENABLES US TO FIND THE MISSING PIECES OF THE PUZZLE. THE M&M PROGRAM OFFERS CRITICAL SUPPORT THAT MAKES THIS IMPORTANT RESEARCH POSSIBLE, AND WE ARE BEYOND GRATEFUL TO THOSE WHO SUPPORT IT. YOU DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE TO TRANSFORMATIVE DISCOVERIES THAT WILL IMPROVE COUNTLESS LIVES FOR GENERATIONS. RICHARD M. MYERS, PHD CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, PRESIDENT EMERITUS, FACULTY INVESTIGATOR, M.A. LOYA CHAIR IN GENOMICS
PEOPLE SUFFER WORLDWIDE FROM NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES AND EXPERIENCE A SHARP DECLINE IN COGNITIVE AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS. MILLION+
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