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Alzheimer’s Disease and Blood Vessels

Summary

Techniques: single cell RNAsequencing and gene expression analysis, high resolution imaging, molecular biology, tissue culture, in vitro models of disease, flow cytometry, some animal models of disease (but not all projects require animal work).

Supervisor

Professor Jennifer Gamble.

Research location

Camperdown - Centenary Institute

Program type

Masters/PHD

Synopsis

AD is an age-related neurodegenerative disease that progressively affects brain function. AD is the most common form of dementia, which is the 2nd leading cause of death in Australia. In 2019 there were approximately 500,000 Australians with dementia, of which about 70% suffer from AD.
One of the newer concepts in the understanding of Alzheimer's is that changes in the brain vasculature are an early major contributing factor to the pathogenesis. The significant change seen early in AD is in the breakdown in the blood-brain barrier, where the vessels become leaky and this occurs before the formation of the classic features of Alzheimer's pathology, the plaques and the tau tangles.
Our research is directed to understanding the molecular changes that occur in the blood vessels that result in the progression of Alzheimer's. Further, we are developing new drugs that specifically target the altered cells of the vasculature in the hope that these may retard or reverse the progression of AD.

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Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 2976

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