NIH Awards Three New York Tech Faculty $3.5 Million in Grants

Three New York Tech faculty have collectively received approximately $3.5 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to further studies in Alzheimer’s disease, RNA modifications, and brain disorder treatments.

Searching for the True Sequence of RNA

Imagine a world where eyeglasses only allow the perception of four colors, despite the existence of a rich and diverse color spectrum. That is the challenge faced by scientists when deciphering RNA sequences. Present-day tools can only identify four nucleotides within an RNA sequence, yet there are numerous other components that remain undetected and unaccounted for.

Shenglong Zhang, Ph.D., associate professor of biological and chemical sciences, received a $676,946 NIH R01 grant, with total funding estimated at $2,588,918 over the next four years, to develop a tool to uncover the true sequence of RNA.

RNA plays diverse roles, but its main function is to create proteins by carrying genetic information during cell replication. It is also the primary genetic material for viruses. Modifications in an RNA’s nucleotides occur to perform these biological functions. Defects in RNA modifications account for more than 100 diseases, including breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. By studying these modifications and defects, scientists may be able to understand and find treatments for these diseases.

What makes RNA modification studies complicated is that while more than 170 modifications have been discovered, not all nucleotide modifications are modified to 100 percent at their RNA sites.

Working with co-investigator Associate Professor of Computer Science Wenjia Li, Ph.D., Zhang aims to develop a new tool to discover the true makeup of RNA. “Our tool aims to tackle a long-standing challenge of revealing ‘true’ RNA sequences, offering a transformative solution for studying RNA modifications,” says Zhang. “This advancement will foster a deeper understanding of functions of RNA modifications and their correlations to RNA-related diseases and pandemics.”

Stopping the Progression of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease has an increasing health and financial impact on society as there are no drug treatments that effectively counteract it. There are limited treatment options available to target mild to moderate Alzheimer’s symptoms, such as memory loss, but little is available to modify the disease’s progression.

With a three-year $438,583 grant from the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Assistant Professor of Biological and Chemical Sciences Jole Fiorito, Ph.D., who specializes in medicinal chemistry, will explore drug developments to treat the disease. The research team includes New York Tech faculty co-investigators Michael Hadjiargyrou, Ph.D., distinguished professor and chair of biological and chemical sciences; Raddy Ramos, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical sciences; and five undergraduate students.

Fiorito’s early-stage work seeks to develop a compound that inhibits two specific enzymes, thus helping improve learning and memory processes. She aims to develop a single-drug treatment to stop the disease’s progression while reducing the side effects that taking multiple drugs can generate. “Results from this study will advance our knowledge on the synthetic feasibility and therapeutic potential of these small molecules and will open avenues of opportunity for the discovery of a novel therapeutic candidate,” says Fiorito.

New Treatments for Neurological Conditions

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) Yingtao “Jerry” Zhao, Ph.D., leads a research team that recently secured a three-year, $428,400 grant from the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. This grant will support research to study the sugar molecule heparan sulfate, which covers the surface of all cells in the human body and is believed to help regulate cell-to-cell interactions. While deficient heparan sulfate levels have been associated with autism spectrum disorder, overaccumulation has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. However, little is known about how, exactly, heparan sulfate helps to regulate brain function, and treatments are limited.

Zhao and his team will use a novel mouse model to study genetics, molecular biology, and other biomedical factors that could impact the role of heparan sulfate in the brains of adult mammals.

“Our research is significant because it will fundamentally advance understanding of the role that heparan sulfate plays in the brain’s signaling pathways. We aim to offer a strong scientific basis to develop new therapies for patients with neurological diseases caused by heparan sulfate irregularities,” says Zhao.