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News — CLEVELAND—With a four-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers from Case Western Reserve University will study whether certain brain proteins may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly 7 million Americans 65 and older are living with the disease and there are more deaths from Alzheimer’s than breast and prostate cancer combined.

Previous research has found evidence that Alzheimer’s begins when the brain’s protective barrier—called the blood-brain barrier (BBB)—weakens. This weakening allows harmful substances to enter the brain, which could lead to the onset of Alzheimer’s.

The NIH-backed study will examine the potential function of epitope (Eph) receptors in Alzheimer’s disease. Eph receptors are proteins initially investigated by Bing-Cheng Wang, a professor of pharmacology at Case Western Reserve’s School of Medicine, for their role in brain development and cancer. They mediate various cell-to-cell interactions.

These proteins, according to Matthias Buck, a professor of physiology and biophysics at the School of Medicine, and his colleagues, may be involved in the BBB’s disintegration, which is crucial for protecting the brain from damage during strokes and the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The new study expands on Buck’s 15 years of Eph research.

Working with Buck’s lab, which is studying a part of the Eph receptor protein using advanced imaging and computational techniques, researchers from Texas Tech University and the University of Tennessee will study how this protein behaves in living cells. And scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are using crystallography to understand the protein’s structure.

“Alzheimer’s is very complex, which is why this project requires a collaboration of special skills,” Buck said. “Since some infectious agents can pass through the blood-brain barrier and Eph receptors are helpful, we plan to enlist the assistance of more local and national partners as this research gains momentum. We anticipate this research will result in discoveries that will one day make it possible to treat an illness that impacts millions of people worldwide.”

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Case Western Reserve University is one of the country's leading private research institutions. Located in Cleveland, we offer a unique combination of forward-thinking educational opportunities in an inspiring cultural setting. Our leading-edge faculty engage in teaching and research in a collaborative, hands-on environment. Our nationally recognized programs include arts and sciences, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing and social work. About 6,000 undergraduate and 6,300 graduate students comprise our student body. Visit case.edu to see how Case Western Reserve thinks beyond the possible.