Vascular dementia is one of the most common types of dementia and is growing in prevalence. There are currently no effective treatments for the condition. A new UK DRI project, led by Dr Jing Qiu (UK DRI at Edinburgh) and funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), seeks to tackle this by identifying a new drug target. We spoke to Dr Qiu to find out more.
Hi Jing! Can you tell us about your new project?
The project focuses on a protein called Nrf2, and we aim to test whether this protein prevents dysfunction in a certain subset of cells in the brain. Endothelial cells line the small blood vessels in the brain, and make up a part of the blood brain barrier. They are thought to function incorrectly in small vessel disease – which is the most common cause of vascular dementia.
We want to test whether targeting Nrf2 in brain endothelial cells helps to slow, prevent or reverse dysfunction in these cells. If successful, the study will point strongly towards a therapeutic strategy for treating people with, or at risk of, vascular dementia.
How will you do that?
We will test the impact of Nrf2 by creating mice which genetically lack the Nrf2 protein in brain endothelial cells, and measuring what happens to their blood brain barrier, brain tissue health, and cognitive function. We hope this will show us whether Nrf2 activity in endothelial cells can control and prevent dysfunction that contributes to small vessel disease. Then, we will look at the effects of a drug already approved to treat another disease, omaveloxolone, which activates the Nrf2 pathway. We’ll test whether it is therapeutically beneficial in small vessel disease.
This project involves other researchers from the UK DRI and beyond, what are the benefits to such a collaborative effort?
I’m excited to be working with other UK DRI researchers on this project, each of whom brings important strengths to the table, including clinical expert Prof Joanna Wardlaw, vascular biologist and imaging expert Dr Axel Montagne, as well as Prof Caleb Webber and Dr Owen Dando. Beyond the UK DRI, we will also be collaborating with Prof Karen Horsburgh, Prof Colin Smith, Dr Andrea Carporali and James Loan at the University of Edinburgh.
Dr Qiu is currently recruiting for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to support with this project (deadline 20 February).
Banner image: Cofocal photo of mixed glial culture. Credit: Dr Paul Baxter