Statewide funding could position UTHealth Houston research at the forefront of dementia prevention
Tick. Tick. Tick. Every three seconds, somebody in the world develops dementia. As populations age and life expectancy increases, the number of dementia cases worldwide is expected to rise sharply, making dementia-related diseases one of the largest medical threats to the global population.
In November, Texas voters took the next step toward improving the lives of more than 460,000 Texans living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias after passing Proposition 14, which created a constitutional amendment to fund the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT).
The bipartisan-approved bill was one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s top legislative priorities. It was authored in the Senate by Sen. Joan Huffman, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, and sponsored in the House by Rep. Tom Craddick, the former speaker. Co-sponsoring the bill were Rep. Senfronia Thompson, who had championed for a brain research institute in previous sessions; Rep. Greg Bonnen, MD, the House Appropriations Committee chair and a practicing neurosurgeon; and others.
“After hearing countless stories of Texans whose lives were shattered by this silent killer, I felt it was time to create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to bring world-class dementia researchers to our state,” Patrick said. “Texas, with our vast resources, has an opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of millions. DPRIT is structured like the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, which has been a resounding success in bringing the best cancer researchers and doctors to Texas.”
The new constitutional amendment, which passed with nearly 70% approval, will authorize DPRIT to distribute $3 billion in allocated funds over 10 years to improve dementia-related research, prevention, treatment, and care. The money will come from existing state resources, not new taxes or bonds.
“Once again, Texas voters have chosen to make a transformative investment in translational and public health research,” said Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president of Academic and Faculty Affairs and the Roger J. Bulger, MD, Distinguished Professor at UTHealth Houston.
The passing of DPRIT positions Texas as a national leader in Alzheimer’s and dementia research. The funding will accelerate innovation, attract leading investigators, expand research capacity, and translate discoveries from bench to bedside.
“As our population ages, we are seeing a dramatic rise in dementia and cognitive decline that affects patients and families every day,” said Louise McCullough, MD, PhD, professor and chair, the Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair, vice president, Neurosciences, and founder of the BRAINS Research Laboratory in the Department of Neurology at UTHealth Houston. “This investment brings the resources needed to address one of the most urgent health challenges facing our state. It allows us to expand translational research, strengthen prevention strategies, and recruit leading investigators, positioning Texas at the forefront of Alzheimer’s and related neurodegenerative disease research and care.”
One of the major benefactors of the DPRIT funding at McGovern Medical School will be the BRAINS Research Laboratory. The laboratory is a collaborative, multidisciplinary group focused on stroke, aging, inflammation, recovery, neurodegeneration, and sex differences, bringing together multiple principal investigators and trainees on a plethora of research projects.
A prominent focus of the BRAINS Laboratory, particularly in McCullough’s lab, is understanding sex differences in disease, an area historically underexamined despite clear implications for treatment effectiveness. Clinical trial data show that many therapies work differently in men and women, a critical issue in Alzheimer’s disease, where nearly two-thirds of patients are women. Emerging research also demonstrates that men and women exhibit distinct immune responses in the brain, including differences in microglial activation and inflammatory signaling, which may influence vulnerability to Alzheimer’s pathology and response to treatment.
Additionally, preclinical studies have shown that neurons derived from males and females die through distinct molecular pathways when exposed to stressors, meaning drugs that target only one mechanism may fail in half the population. Support from DPRIT could help advance more precise, personal approaches to prevention and treatment that account for biological differences across patient populations.
Another emphasis of the BRAINS Lab is cerebral amyloid angiopathy, a disease that sits at the intersection of Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. It is becoming increasingly common as the population ages. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy occurs when amyloid accumulates along the walls of blood vessels in the brain, making them prone to leakage and rupture.
The lab of Akihiko Urayama, PhD, professor in the Department of Neurology at McGovern Medical School, is investigating the biological mechanisms behind amyloid accumulation to understand why certain antibodies used to treat Alzheimer’s disease promote cerebral amyloid angiopathy and how future therapies might be redesigned to improve safety while preserving their therapeutic benefit.
Sean Marrelli, PhD, professor of neurology, studies how cerebrovascular function is regulated in health, aging, and disease. His work focuses on mechanisms that control cerebral blood flow and vascular remodeling, including the mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1 in brain endothelial cells, a potential therapeutic target in aging and amyloid-related pathology.
Research from the lab of Jun Li, PhD, professor of neurology, may one day help stroke patients who suffer from respiratory instability, which can lead to an accelerated progression of Alzheimer’s disease. His team is studying how even small strokes can trigger gliosis mediated by astrocytes, which can lead to scarring of the brainstem and result in apnea or irregular breathing. Further research could help explain the association between vascular risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, small strokes, and increased Alzheimer’s risk.
Researchers at McGovern Medical School’s George and Cynthia Mitchell Center for Research in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders — led by Claudio Soto, PhD, professor and Huffington Foundation Distinguished University Chair in Neurology — are advancing understanding of how misfolded proteins drive Alzheimer’s progression throughout the brain. Soto’s work focuses on the molecular mechanisms by which pathological forms of amyloid-beta and tau can propagate misfolding in normal proteins, spreading pathological aggregates from cell to cell. This prion-like propagation, in which abnormal proteins act as templates that corrupt normal proteins, is thought to underlie the regional spread of Alzheimer’s pathology and neurodegeneration over time, providing insight into disease progression and potential avenues for early detection and targeted intervention.
Although her research primarily focuses on movement disorders, physician-scientists like Mya Schiess, MD, professor and Adriana Blood Distinguished Chair in Neurology, could also benefit from the passage of DPRIT. Schiess researches Parkinson’s disease, a common cause of neurodegeneration and dementia. She is exploring how synuclein pathology, the neuropathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, drives cognitive decline and dementia. Her work and involvement in several multidisciplinary projects are a natural bridge between motor systems degeneration and cognitive decline.
“With DPRIT funding, we will not only expand our current research but also continue recruiting talented researchers to pioneer tomorrow’s breakthroughs in dementia prevention and treatment,” McCullough said. “Preventive strategies are vital because early intervention can significantly alter the trajectory of neurodegenerative disease, reducing long-term disability and associated health care costs.”