# Mitochondrial therapeutics for healthy brain aging

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2021 · $48,017

## Abstract

There is a pressing need to develop therapeutics that can promote brain health with aging. Such therapeutics
would postpone the deterioration in cognition and mental health that occurs with age. The proposed research
will identify, optimize, and then test in laboratory animals such therapeutics as steps towards future clinical
use. The research focus is on mitochondria, the organelle in brain neurons that provides energy and many
other functions for neurons to function and remain healthy. Mitochondria become impaired with age;
mitochondrial impairment is one of the well-known hallmarks of aging. In pilot studies, we have identified a few
new drugs that have the potential to enhance mitochondrial function across age. We will search for and identify
five times more to enlarge the set of potential “mitotherapeutics.” These drugs will then be tested in laboratory
animals to determine whether they can protect mitochondria from the insults associated with age and enhance
brain function; postponing or eliminating the cognitive and mental health issues that occur with age. Drugs with
the potential to postpone or eliminate these issues would have an enormous impact on brain health for the late
adult and elderly in the U.S. population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10694375
- **Project number:** 6R21AG068887-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Ronald L Davis
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $48,017
- **Award type:** 6
- **Project period:** 2020-09-10 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10694375

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10694375, Mitochondrial therapeutics for healthy brain aging (6R21AG068887-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10694375. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*