Project Grant R01AG096499

Award Summary

Rutgers The State University of New Jersey has received a $656,577 Project Grant from the National Institute on Aging (CFDA 93.866 – Aging Research) to conduct research investigating the role of ITM2B/BRI2 (a cellular protein) in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis, with particular focus on familial British dementia (FBD) and familial Danish dementia (FDD). The research spans the period from July 1, 2026, through March 31, 2031, and will deliver scientific findings through multiple research methodologies and deliverable products. These deliverables include the development and analysis of animal models (transgenic mice with cell-type-specific BRI2 deletions and disease knockin rodents), creation and characterization of isogenic human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells with BRI2 mutations, comprehensive molecular analyses of patient brain specimens using single-nuclei RNA sequencing and spatial gene expression analysis, and evaluation of BRI2-derived peptide interventions that modulate the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and TREM2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2) proteins.

These research outputs are designed to elucidate BRI2's multifaceted functions in synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, and neuroinflammation while identifying potential therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). The project will produce peer-reviewed publications, detailed characterization of biological models, experimental data on protein interactions and processing, and evidence supporting the development of interventions targeting BRI2 dysfunction as a treatment approach for neurodegenerative disease.