Project Grant RF1AG077396

The National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging awarded The Medical University of South Carolina $4,507,228 under the Aging Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.866) to study neuroprotective mechanisms of Bach1-derepression in Alzheimer's disease from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2025. The Medical University will conduct rigorous evaluation to validate Bach1 inhibition as a novel therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and identify new targets for intervention. The University will delineate the role of Bach1 inhibition in disease onset and progression using state-of-the-art mouse models and novel non-electrophilic Bach1 inhibitors. It will also establish how loss of Bach1 in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia modulates disease development and differentiate between Bach1- and NRF2-dependent pathways in neuroprotection. The University of Minnesota will serve as a sub-awardee, conducting neuropathological analysis and evaluating protein degradation pathways in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model under the direction of Dr. Lee as a site principal investigator and multiple principal investigator on the overall project. The research aims to provide critical evidence to justify Bach1 inhibition as a novel therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease.