Claúdia Almeida, Principal Investigator of the Neuronal Trafficking in Aging lab, was awarded the 2019 Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant (ARRG) Program, by the Alzheimer’s Association. This new grant will allow her group to keep researching whether a genetic mutation identified in late-onset Alzheimer’s patients disrupts neuronal function relevant for memory.
Neurons are specialized cells, extremely sensitive to discrete alterations, such as a mutation that affects protein traffic and the cytoskeleton. Claudia’s group will evaluate how this mutation alters neuronal function, so as to understand the specific mechanism involved and determine the best strategy to rescue neuronal function. The ultimate goal is to test novel therapeutic targets aimed at preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s disease onset.
“It is the most recognized association of Alzheimer’s patients in the world” says Cláudia, “It is a great recognition since there were 400 applications from around the world, and only 32 got financing.”.
