As the world鈥檚 population ages, neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer鈥檚 disease are becoming more and more common. Alzheimer鈥檚 is the leading cause of dementia. And though research into these conditions has yielded many fascinating results, few have translated to clinical applications. Today, we have a better idea of what Alzheimer鈥檚 does to the brain. However, we鈥檙e still a long way from figuring out how to cure the disease or prevent it from taking hold in the first place. Rooting out these mysteries requires a bold, new approach.
Recognizing this, the Pershing Square Foundation has awarded 黑料吃瓜资源 Associate Professor Lucas Cheadle the 2025 MIND Prize. The annual award provides neuroscientists with $750,000 over three years. It is meant to empower early-career scientists to put themselves in a different frame of mind so they can look at neurodegenerative diseases like never before. That鈥檚 exactly what Cheadle is doing.
鈥淩ather than focus solely on well-studied brain cells like microglia, our lab is investigating the much lesser-known oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs),鈥� Cheadle says. 鈥淥ur hope is that looking at these early-forming brain cells and how they interact with synapses will offer an earlier window into Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.鈥� And that new view could point to therapeutic or preventive strategies that haven鈥檛 yet been considered.
鈥淚 want to express my appreciation for the Pershing Square Foundation鈥檚 ongoing support as they also provided funding earlier in my career through the Innovation Fund,鈥� Cheadle adds. 鈥淭hat early funding helped us get where we are today. So, having the opportunity to work with Pershing Square on another ambitious project is very satisfying. And I feel very grateful to the Foundation for seeing the value in our work.鈥�
Written by: Samuel Diamond, Senior Communications Strategist | [email protected] | 516-367-5055