Project Grant R21AG104666
- The National Institute on Aging awarded The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $456,500 on February 1, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to investigate the role of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in tau uptake in cell and mouse models as a potential treatment pathway for Alzheimer's disease. The research addresses gaps in understanding how heparan sulfate proteoglycans drive tau uptake in neurons and microglia, which are the brain cell types most affected in...
- The National Institute on Aging, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $456,500 on May 15, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to fund biomedical research on genetic modifiers of atherosclerosis. The funded research investigates the mechanism of the APOER2-R952Q mutation, a single-nucleotide polymorphism that confers increased genetic risk for premature atherosclerosis and acute myocardial infarction....
- The National Institute on Aging awarded the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston $312,000 on September 1, 2026, for Project Grant R03AG098212 under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866). The research investigates complement signaling in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis, specifically the role of the complement component 3 receptor (C3AR1) in memory impairment and synaptic loss. The project examines whether ablation of microglial C3AR1, as distinct from neuronal C3AR1,...
- The National Institute on Aging awarded the University of California, San Diego $408,012 on September 1, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to develop methods for improving central nervous system pharmacokinetics of targeted protein degraders through specialized assay workflows and prodrug chemistries. The research will establish dual-functional molecules that hijack endogenous molecular transport pathways to cross the blood-brain barrier, with early-stage application to...
- The National Institute on Aging awarded Texas Tech University $447,541 on February 1, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866, assistance type: Project Grant) to investigate microRNA-driven mitochondrial dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. The research focuses on validating microRNA PC-5P-12969 as both a biomarker for early Alzheimer's diagnosis and a potential therapeutic target. The recipient will measure microRNA PC-5P-12969 levels in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and postmortem...
- The National Institute on Aging awarded the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $441,126 on July 1, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to investigate STING regulation of tau seeding and tauopathy in Alzheimer's disease. The research will determine the molecular mechanism by which STING activation promotes tau seeding in cells and will use genetic approaches to establish the role of distinct STING functions in mouse tauopathy models. The work addresses how...
- The National Institute on Aging awarded the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston $421,225 on July 1, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to dissect the regulatory mechanism for low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 using Drosophila vitellogenic oocytes as an in vivo model. The research addresses how LRP1 and related lipid transport receptors regulate amyloid-beta production and clearance and interact with apolipoprotein E4, a primary genetic risk...
- The National Institute on Aging awarded the University of Texas at Dallas $761,537 on February 15, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to investigate a novel astrocyte endfoot protein arising from translational readthrough and its role in Alzheimer's disease pathology. The research develops loss-of-function and gain-of-function mouse models to characterize AQP4X, an extended isoform of aquaporin 4 that arises when approximately 20 percent of translating ribosomes continue past...
- The National Institute on Aging, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston $3.267 million on June 1, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866). The research investigates the apolipoprotein E (APOE)-tau axis linking preeclampsia to Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegeneration. The project employs primary human trophoblast assays, pre-clinical humanized preeclampsia mouse models, and predictive and therapeutic...
- The National Institute on Aging, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded The Leland Stanford Junior University $682,281 on September 1, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to develop a human induced pluripotent stem cell-based three-dimensional brain tissue microsphere model that recapitulates granulin deficiency phenotypes and associated pathology in neurodegenerative diseases including frontotemporal dementia and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. The model...
The National Institute on Aging, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $249,000 on September 1, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to develop and validate an innovative genetic platform for de-risking g-secretase modulator therapeutics in Alzheimer's disease. The award funds two primary aims. Aim 1 involves using CRISPR/Cas9 engineering and structure-informed design to generate and validate a novel knock-in mouse model (NCSTN-I241D) that genetically recapitulates the biochemical signature of a therapeutic g-secretase modulator. Aim 2 calls for direct head-to-head comparison between this new g-secretase modulator mimic and an existing g-secretase inhibitor mimic (NCSTN-V439G) using deep proteomic profiling and high-resolution electron microscopy, with emphasis on endolysosomal and tau network integrity, to define molecular and ultrastructural signatures of safe modulation versus toxic inhibition. The work addresses a translational barrier in Alzheimer's drug development by providing the first direct in vivo evidence for the long-term safety of the g-secretase modulator mechanism and establishing a mechanistically informed foundation for next-generation pharmacological and gene-based dementia therapies. Performance occurs in Dallas, Texas, with a period of performance ending June 30, 2028. The award is classified as a Project Grant (R21 mechanism).
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $249.0k | 9/1/26 |