Research Projects

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide, characterized by the formation of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. With an estimated 160 million people affected by AD by 2050, it is crucial to develop reliable therapies to slow or prevent the disease progression. Currently, there is no proper cure and diagnostic modality available for AD, and a drug that can halt AD progression would improve outcomes for millions of patients. The formation of amyloid fibrils due to protein aggregation is a central step in the pathogenesis of many age-related diseases. Molecules capable of controlling or preventing amyloid protein aggregates or reverting pre-formed aggregates can be crucial in developing a successful therapeutic modality for the disease. Neurotropic factors, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), have been shown to encourage neuronal differentiation, maturation, improve synaptic plasticity, and exhibit neuroprotective effects in conditions like cerebral ischemia, hypoglycemic conditions, and neurotoxicity. However, BDNF-based therapies have shown poor clinical success due to their non-up to the mark pharmacological properties and low in vivo stability. This proposal aims to develop inherently BBB traversing catecholamine-BDNF protein nanocomplexes with biphasic amyloid targeting and effective therapeutic potential, achieved by BDNF and the fibril inhibitory effect exerted by Aβ-targeting catecholamines. The inherently fluorescent catecholamine nanostructures will add an imaging component for amyloid plaque detection and online tracking of therapeutic progress.