| Curcumin effect on biomarkers in healthy subjects. In animal models we know that, althought curcumin has a wide range of efficacy, high curcumin can be effective at some Alzheimer's targets, but suppress 'good inflammation' needed to clear toxic debris and low dose may not be effective, but it is critical to know the corresponding dose in humans. Once we know this, we will start testing for effects in other diseases, specifically traumatic brain injury and PTSD. Donations will pay for salaries of a clinical fellow and kits to measure inflammatory cytokines and relevant plasma markers that refect disease severity. |
$100,000 |
| Fisetin and DHA effect on plasma biomarkers in subjects at risk for Alzheimers Typically people who have or want to prevent Alzheimer's end up taking several medications and dietary supplement. In fact we don't know which combination antagonize each other or which synergize. We already have strong data showing that Fisetin and DHA work better togethery than each alone. We have to now test this in patients. We need salary for clinical and research staff to conduct this work as well as the necessary tools to measure biochemical changes. |
$200,000 |
| Fisetin and DHA effect on neuroimaging (FDG PET and MRI) in subjects at risk for Alzheimers. Neuroimaging is costly, but it is critical to measure anatomical and metabolic changes in progression in people, which will expedite assessing of drugs or supplements likely to be effective. Drug associated benefits in metabolic, biochemical and pathology are likely to precede benefits in cognition. IF we can shorten trials and increase robustness of drug effects, this allows us to reduce sample size for the study. Right now it cost about $20,000,000.00 to test one drug and one dose do a prevention trial, because they take so long (8 years). Women are at risk particullary if they have an ApoE4 allele (the main risk factor for Alzheimer's), and these trials are not even powered to effectively assess these variations in response. Different people may respond differently, which is why we need shorter trials and better markers. One cannot rely on cognitive changes in short trials because of placebo effect which lasts up to 6 months. Donations will cover some costs of neuroimaging and necessary staff to analyze it. |
$100,000 |
Preclinical Research: We need animals for testing of drugs. Our animals have human Alzheimer genes that allow manifestations of some aspects of the disease and they display mild cognitive deficits equivalent to us not knowing where we parked our car and where they keys are. Our animals are heatlhy and taken care of and watched by several veterinarians, with enriched environment (toys) and aged out to ages that they would not be able to survive in the wild. We and the veterianarians observe animals daily to ensure they are happy and have no health conditions such as dermatitis or pain. We promptly treat the mice if they have any health conditions. The most stressful thing that our animals experience is that for 10 days at about 4 minutes per day, we make them swim in a circular tank to find an invisbile platform. Mice and Rats typically don't like to swim so they escape to the platform. This tests spatial memory that requires a brain region called the hippocampus, a major aspect of Alzheimer's. Mice or rats that don't find the platform quickly manifest impaired spatial memory, so if a diet fails to correct this memory then it is unlikely to succeed in the clinic. The cost of animal care is high but not as high as the clinical trials. ,We need to do these preclinical studies to test safe new targets and the appropriate dose extrapolated to humans, or we can't find a treatment that works in humans.
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| Preclinical Research:> Examine mitochondrial defects in tau models and impact of the mitochondrial antioxidant PQQ |
$100,000 |
| Preclinical Research:Screen dietary and OTC drugs in tau Tg Drosophila |
$40,000 |
| Preclinical Research:Examine dietary cocktails in aging tau transgenic mice |
$40,000/per cocktail |
| Preclinical Research:. Support benefits and salary continuing or new Postdoctoral fellow or senior technicians |
$75,000/person |
| Light Microscope+camera _ computer |
$85,000 |
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or Cole Frautschy
Lab
c/o Dr. Luba Skoropad
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David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
710 Westwood Plaza, C-231 RNRC
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1769
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