Alzheimer’s Mouse Model Aids Research into Sex-specific Memory-making Brain Cell Decline
Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) and National University of Singapore (NUS) scientists have conducted a joint study to investigate why, in mice, female brains are more predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The study sought to provide insights into why women developed Alzheimer’s-related symptoms earlier and exhibited a faster decline in memory compared to men. By experimenting on mice brain samples, the research team found that as female mice age, they experienced a faster decay in their information processing ability compared to male mice, resulting in weaker memory formation and increased memory loss.
The study was led by Assistant Professor Ch’ng Toh Hean from NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and Associate Professor Sajikumar Sreedharan from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine’s Department of Physiology, and included NTU research fellows Dr Sheeja Navakkode and Dr Jessica Gaunt.
The fi ndings showed that the brains of female mice with the Alzheimer’s genetic mutation were less fl exible, or ‘plastic’, in adapting to new information and forming new memories.
This lowered plasticity of the brain’s synapses - the connections between brain cells, or neurons - likely contributes to greater cognitive impairment and increased vulnerability to Alzheimer’s disease in females, say the scientists.
“It is well-documented that Alzheimer’s disproportionately affects more women than men, with women at a higher risk of developing the disease. For a long time, scientists have thought that this discrepancy was because women on average live longer than men, but our study based on mice models provided evidence that the processing time of information in female brain synapses declines much earlier compared to male brain synapses,” said Asstistant Professor Ch’ng.
“More recent studies suggest that there are biological reasons beyond longevity that explains the sex discrepancy, such as genetics, hormones, and lifestyle impact. However, although the associated risk factors are clear, the exact reasons why female brains show this faster decline - and are hence more susceptible to Alzheimer’s - require further study,” he said.
The fi ndings were published in Aging Cell in November 2021. The joint study was funded by a Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 3 and the NTU Nanyang Assistant Professorship and supported by the NUS Joint Research Programme (NUSMED-FOS).
Paper titled ‘Sex-specifi c accelerated decay in time/activity- dependent plasticity and associative memory in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease’, published in Aging Cell, 18 November 2021. DOI: 10.1111/acel.13502
L-R: LKCMedicine Research Fellow Dr Jessica Ruth Gaunt; LKCMedicine Asst Prof Ch’ng Toh Hean, Nanyang Assistant Professor; Associate Professor Sajikumar Sreedharan, Department of Physiology, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; and LKCMedicine Senior Research Fellow Dr Sheeja Navakkode.
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Experienced Manager to Drive Strategic Growth of New Subsidiary
Laboratory tools developer HEL Group has appointed Rajeev Kumria as General Manager of its recently-opened subsidiary in India, where he will oversee the creation and commercial effectiveness of this new business through scaling the company’s operations in Indian growth markets, including biotechnology, process safety and pharmaceutical industries.
With twenty-fi ve years of experience in general management, M&A, business development, strategy, sales leadership and product consultancy across medical device and diagnostics sectors in South Asia, Rajeev has held leadership roles in companies such as Getinge Medical India, Thermo Fisher Scientifi c, Transasia Biomedica, and Bharat Serums and Vaccines Ltd. He has managed acquisitions in both the USA and Europe as well as being involved in incubating and guiding start-ups in the fi eld of Genetics and Mechanical Ventilation throughout his career. Active in the fi ght against the pandemic he has advised companies in India developing RTPCR, nucleic acid extraction and viral transport media products for COVID-19.
Part of Rajeev’s business role at the new subsidiary will be to work closely with the company’s existing commercial partners, Skytech Systems, to ensure a smooth handover of business, while focusing on the continuity of customer support.
Company CEO Louise Madden, said: “We’re delighted to have Rajeev joining HEL at this exciting time. We have a great history with customers in India and setting up our own entity in the country will see even greater successes. With a leader like Rajeev heading up the team, we have a fantastic mix of both General Management and commercial leadership to draw on and I’m convinced that Rajeev and the team will support our customers and help them achieve their full potential.”
Rajeev added: “India is a hugely dynamic market across many sectors of technology development, from fi ne chemicals, through battery development and testing, to the biotechnology area. HEL Group has great capabilities in these areas and I’m delighted to be joining the team and leading the next stage in the growth of HEL in India.”
Rajeev Kumria Louise Madden
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Partnership to Identify Therapeutic Targets to Advance Oncology Drug Discovery
Shenzhen-based RNA drug research and development company NeoCura Bio-Medical Technology and UK biopharma PhoreMost are collaborating on a project to investigate the cellular delivery and effi cacy of encoded targeted peptides, with aims to inform and advance the research and development of innovative anti-cancer therapies.
PhoreMost’s SITESEEKER® phenotypic screening platform and NeoCura’s full-process RNA drug design platform will be used to identify the best new therapeutic targets for any chosen disease setting and rapidly identify how to develop novel drugs to these targets.
Dr Wang Yi, Founder and CEO of NeoCura, said: “NeoCura is pleased to establish a collaborative partnership with PhoreMost. We are deeply impressed by PhoreMost’s excellent protein interference technology platform and unique target mining capabilities. It is believed that with the leading RNA drug research and development
capability of NeoCura and cutting-edge SITESEEKER technology of PhoreMost, more therapeutic potential will be released in the fi eld of research and development of RNA drugs and the translational process of anti-cancer drugs will be greatly accelerated. Meanwhile, NeoCura also hopes to join hands with more industry leaders in the vigorous development of biomedicine in China.”
Dr Chris Torrance, CEO, PhoreMost, said: “This partnership
demonstrates the versatility of PhoreMost’s SITESEEKER platform, and the range of innovative drug discovery programs it can work within.
NeoCura’s platform complements PhoreMost’s capabilities to unmask cryptic druggable sites across the entire human proteome. RNA delivery of novel therapeutics represents an exciting opportunity for PhoreMost as we aim to signifi cantly increase the diversity and affordability of novel therapeutics for cancer and other unmet diseases.”
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Dr Wang Yi
Chris Torrance
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