# Development of novel computational protocols to study amyloid oligomerization

> **NIH NIH K25** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $147,251

## Abstract

Project Summary
Dr. Viet Man is a biophysicist whose overarching career goal is to prevent the development of
neurodegenerative diseases which are associated to the aggregation of amyloid proteins/peptides. He
received his Ph.D. degree in physics from Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences (IFPAN). He
completed two postdoctoral fellowships before joining the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at The
University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy (PittPharmacy) as a scientist. The research proposal entitled
“Development of Novel Computational Protocols to Study Amyloid Oligomerization” combines Molecular
Dynamics (MD) simulation integrated innovative system designs and special data analysis, advanced
statistical methods and scientific programming development to investigate the oligomerization of amyloid
proteins/peptides, to identify inhibitors for the formation of amyloid oligomers, and to establish theoretical
bases for physical therapies that target the elimination of the toxic amyloid oligomers. The research
proposal includes three aims: 1) investigate the oligomerization of amyloid proteins/peptides; 2) identify
inhibitors for the formation of amyloid toxic oligomers from approved drugs and natural compounds; 3)
study physical therapies for eliminating the toxic oligomers. The completion of these aims will reveal
important insights of the amyloid oligomerization process, provide potential drugs and promising physical
therapies for preventing the development of some diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer's
disease, which are both associated to the amyloid oligomerization. The proposed career development plan
is built upon his previous training with four training goals to enhance his trajectory toward becoming an
independent investigator: 1) Experiential and didactic learning in experimental methods used for amyloid
aggregation; 2) Acquire and apply advanced statistical analyses, machine learning as well as artificial
intelligence; 3) Become an expert in force field and scientific program development; and 4) Develop
leadership and professional skills to execute multicenter studies.
Dr. Man and his primary mentor, Junmei Wang, Ph.D., have assembled a strong team of co-mentors and
advisors to guide Dr. Viet through the proposed training and research activities. The proposed career
development plan utilizes the intellectual, equipment and data resources available through the
PittPharmacy and other schools/centers of the University of Pittsburgh. PittPharmacy is committed to
supporting junior staff and faculty members through internal grants, administrative support and structured
opportunities for networking and education. Dr. Man will obtain the high performant computer resources
from the PittResearch “Center for Research Computing” (https://crc.pitt.edu/) and Dr. Wang’s group. He
will also obtain the permission for accessing the data related to dementia diseases from Dr. Xie’s group
and Dr. Lopez’s “Alzheimer's Disease Resea...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10461868
- **Project number:** 5K25AG070277-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Viet Hoang Man
- **Activity code:** K25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $147,251
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-08-15 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10461868

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10461868, Development of novel computational protocols to study amyloid oligomerization (5K25AG070277-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10461868. Licensed CC0.

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