# Alzheimer's Disease administrative supplement for NIH grant Novel mechanism controlling calcium signaling to treat and prevent neurodegeneration in early stage glaucoma

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI KANSAS CITY · 2020 · $387,841

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
The present administrative supplement application responds to NOT-AG-20-008, “Alzheimer's-
focused administrative supplements for NIH grants that are not focused on Alzheimer's
disease”. Under the parent grant for the present administrative supplement, R01 grant
1R01EY030747-01, entitled “Novel pro-drug pharmacotherapy to prevent neuronal and cell
degeneration in AMD”, we are targeting a novel signaling pathway for the development of a
novel pharmacological intervention to control degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE)
and nerve cells in the retina due to Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a major cause of
visual loss and blindness in the United States and worldwide. Specifically, we plan to develop a
new therapeutic strategy in the multidisciplinary research project of the parent award using
established models of human AMD, a novel chemical antioxidant strategy to protect RPE cells
and neurons from apoptosis. The research proposed in the present administrative supplement
application will allow us to build on these novel preclinical data sets and thereby to develop the
novel therapeutic strategy for neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) affected by
Alzheimer's disease (AD). Specifically, we will test the hypothesis that similar to RPE cells and
retinal neurons affected by AMD, oxidative stress resulting from AD pathology reducing viability
and function of CNS neurons can be attenuated by the novel therapeutic strategy under
development in the parent award. To this end, a novel intervention approach will be developed
that can be exploited to devise novel treatments that can be delivered to CNS neurons affected
by AD protecting them from oxidative stress mediated damage and loss of function. Three-
dimensional (3D) bio-printed human neural cell constructs will be used as in vitro models for AD
and for drug discovery in AD and related dementias employing experimental strategies aligned
with the parent award. The proposed experiments will determine the potential of the targeted
novel therapeutic strategy for neuroprotective and anti-oxidant therapies in AD. The innovative
strategy has the potential to generate a first-in-class pharmacotherapy approach for AD. The
strategy's potentially high impact lies in its capacity to be both preventative and therapeutic in
nature and to complement current and future treatment designs and rationales.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10123181
- **Project number:** 3R01EY030747-02S2
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI KANSAS CITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter Koulen
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $387,841
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10123181

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10123181, Alzheimer's Disease administrative supplement for NIH grant Novel mechanism controlling calcium signaling to treat and prevent neurodegeneration in early stage glaucoma (3R01EY030747-02S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10123181. Licensed CC0.

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