$2.9 Million For Down Syndrome & Alzheimer’s Research

Crnic Institute’s supergroup scientists received a $2.9 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for their important research on beta-amyloid, the protein encoded on chromosome 21 that causes Alzheimer’s disease.

Because individuals with Down syndrome carry an extra copy of the gene that encodes the beta-amyloid, nearly every person with Down syndrome will develop the brain pathology of Alzheimer’s disease at a relatively young age. However, there are major gaps in the understanding of how beta-amyloid disrupts neuron function in Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.

This team hopes to reveal how beta-amyloid causes the loss of connections between neurons so that new therapeutic strategies to block the neurotoxic activities of beta-amyloid can be developed.

Meet Our Scientists

Mark Dell’Acqua, PhD

Mark Dell’Acqua, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair of Pharmacology at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Recipient of Crnic’s Grand Challenge Grant Program in 2013

Dell’Acqua’s research focuses on the role of calcium signaling in Alzheimer’s pathology.

Matthew Kennedy, PhD

Matthew Kennedy, PhD
Associate Professor at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Pharmacology
Recipient of Crnic’s Grand Challenge Grant Program in 2013 and 2015

Kennedy studies how increase beta-amyloid production causes synapse loss.

Ulrich Bayer, PhD

Ulrich Bayer, PhD
Professor at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Pharmacology

Bayer is focused on neurological disorders and how molecular mechanisms can affect learning, memory, and cognition.

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