Project Grant RF1NS145335

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded the University of Connecticut Health Center $1.815 million on August 3, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853) to support research on the regulation of beta-glucocerebrosidase in Parkinson's disease and related dementias.

The research examines how the protein GCIP1 regulates beta-glucocerebrosidase (GCase) processing, trafficking, and maturation in cells. GCase dysfunction is associated with Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's disease dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies; heterozygous mutations in the GBA1 gene, which encodes GCase, represent the most common genetic risk factor for these conditions. The project investigates whether GCIP1 facilitates proper GCase folding in the endoplasmic reticulum and enables higher populations of GCase to proceed through the trafficking machinery to the lysosome, and tests this mechanism in animal models of GCase-associated disease pathogenesis.

The award obligates $1.815 million and runs through May 31, 2029. Work is performed in Farmington, Connecticut. University of Connecticut Health Center, a state-controlled academic medical center and research institution, serves as the prime recipient of this project grant.