# Mapping Brain Lipid Architecture in Aging, LBD and T Cell Therapy using novel Imaging Mass Spectrometry

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2024 · $400,707

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Dementia with Lewy bodies (LBD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are characterized pathologically by the
presence of Lewy bodies, composed of misfolded alpha synuclein (α-syn) inclusions. These disorders are
progressive, and result in the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in multiple motor and non-motor basal
ganglia circuits. There are no known disease altering drugs, hence there is an unmet need for delivering viable
treatments to slow down progression of LBDs. Furthermore, there is a growing body of literature suggesting the
role that lipids play in LBD pathogenesis. We have developed a promising mRNA-based immunomodulatory
approach (ACT), which shows efficacy of reducing α-syn pathology burden in a preclinical model. We also show
that ACT restores the lipidome to normal levels and hence visualizing the inter-brain distribution of lipids along
with key enzymes involved in lipid metabolism would help comprehend their roles and alterations over time in
the aging and diseased brain.
Systems biology approaches provide a holistic examination of interactions between the metabolome, and
environment in an attempt to comprehend pathomechanisms involved in LBDs. Imaging mass spectrometry
(IMS) is a new technology that has the ability to map a wide range of small molecules with high spatial resolution,
and the ability to quantify them, without a priori labeling, and hence can be harnessed to elucidate the role of the
metabolome in driving neurodegeneration. Here we propose to generate a spatial atlas of the lipidome to identify
lipid markers of disease progression in Aim 1, and assess lipid alterations resulting from ACT using MSI in Aim
2.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10991070
- **Project number:** 1R21AG089638-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Boone M. Prentice
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $400,707
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10991070

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10991070, Mapping Brain Lipid Architecture in Aging, LBD and T Cell Therapy using novel Imaging Mass Spectrometry (1R21AG089638-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10991070. Licensed CC0.

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