Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can lead to the development of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), one of the most common forms of dementia found in people under the age of 65. Actor Bruce Willis — who is 67 — was diagnosed with the condition recently, and currently, there is no treatment for it.
A team of researchers at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), however, is looking to change this.
UTHSC has received a $308,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), which is set to fund an effort to find the first therapeutic intervention that prevents frontotemporal dementia, or slows its progression.
The principal investigator on the project is Mohammad Moshahid Khan, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Neurology, while the co-investigator is Tayebeh Pourmotabbed, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry.
The researchers plan to use a novel gene therapy, DNAzymes, to target pathological tau aggregates — which cause frontotemporal dementia, and the cognitive impairment and neuropathological symptoms that stem from it. Using a mouse model, they’ll examine the effective dose, frequency, and duration of treatment, as well as its potential to reduce neurodegeneration and behavioral deficits.
“Our preliminary data suggest that DNAzyme is a novel therapeutic approach and has a great potential for preventing the accumulation of pathological tau,” Khan said, in a press release. “The results of this proposal would be foundational for future studies examining the clinical use of DNAzyme for other neurological diseases associated with traumatic brain injury and other tauopathies.”
This is far from the only project underway at UTHSC, which regularly secures significant funding for research. In FY 2022, it scored a record $132.9 million in grant and contract awards, a $6.3 million increase from the $126.7 million it earned in FY 2021. It was the sixth-straight year UTHSC had seen growth in grant and contract awards, and it represented a 56% jump from the $85 million it earned in FY 2017.
According to MBJ research, UTHSC is the second-largest research institution in the Memphis area, based on expenditures, behind St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and ahead of the University of Memphis.
