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Novel genetics research opens door to potential new therapies for dementia

By December 11, 2018February 19th, 2019Carousel Slider, In the News

Vivek Swarup, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology & Behavior

UCI MIND faculty member, Dr. Vivek Swarup, and colleagues at UCLA, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. in Japan, Emory University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, published novel findings yesterday in Nature Medicine on two major groups of genes associated  with Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia and unraveled a novel microRNA, miR-203, as a master regulator of neuronal death. In human cell cultures containing AD-associated mutations, the researchers showed that certain experimental drugs altered the loss of brain cells associated with neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Swarup says, “I’m hopeful these important findings will bring us one step closer to effective new treatments for Alzheimer’s and other major causes of dementia.” To learn more, click here >