# Nanoparticles for detecting noradrenergic neurons in Alzheimer's Disease

> **NIH NIH R41** · S G ENDOCRINE RESEARCH LLC · 2020 · $266,683

## Abstract

Summary:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder that is marked by the
presence of amyloid-ß plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and cognitive deficits. The
economic impact of this disease is staggering and is expected to exceed $1 trillion
dollars by the year 2050. Early diagnosis and treatment can substantially reduce the
economic burden related to AD. Specifically, being able to assess early pathological
changes in specific brain areas could be beneficial for diagnosis and treatment. The
locus coeruleus (LC), which provides the majority of the noradrenergic innervation to
areas such as thalamus, cortex and hippocampus, undergoes extensive
neurodegenerative changes. These changes that occur in the LC have been described
as the earliest pathologies observed in AD and, critically, appear at least a decade
ahead of the neurocognitive deficits. LC noradrenergic neurons are involved in
regulating key neurobehavioral functions such as cognition, arousal and wakefulness.
However, assessing changes in LC over the course of AD in patients remains a major
challenge.
The main objective of the proposed research in phase 1 is to develop an organic
nanoparticle-based MRI imaging agent to non-invasively monitor noradrenergic neurons
in the LC using a preclinical model of AD. Our preliminary studies provide evidence that
these nanoparticles are taken by noradrenergic neurons in the brainstem and facilitate
the imaging process. Our specific aims are to 1. To assess the ability of the
nanoparticles to image the LC using MRI, and correlate with changes in norepinephrine
levels. 2. To assess whether these particles can be used to measure degenerative
changes as the disease progresses. Translating this to larger animal models and
conducting preclinical testing will be next step following this STTR.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10080203
- **Project number:** 1R41AG069539-01
- **Recipient organization:** S G ENDOCRINE RESEARCH LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Puliyur MohanKumar
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $266,683
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-15 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10080203

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10080203, Nanoparticles for detecting noradrenergic neurons in Alzheimer's Disease (1R41AG069539-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10080203. Licensed CC0.

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