Research Project: Therapeutic evaluation of novel tau kinase inhibitors in Alzheimer’s disease

The CART Fund is pleased to announce that Tsuneya Ikezu, MD, Ph.D., Boston University School of Medicine, has been selected to receive a 2017 Alzheimer’s research grant in the amount of $100,000. The grant will be awarded on May 9, 2017 at the annual meeting of The Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust Fund (CART Fund) in Columbia, SC.

Dr. Ikezu’s team is interested in the  development of small molecule drugs that would suppress the aggregation of tau protein in the brain, as the accumulation of this protein is believed to cause Alzheimer’s disease. The new compound, Taukinib, targets the protein enzyme tau-tubulin kinase 1 (TTBK1), which is only present in neurons and which modifies tau protein in such a way that it is more likely to accumulate.  We will evaluate a modified version of Taukinib to examine its therapeutic effect on disruption of tau aggregation in cell and animal-based models of Alzheimer’s disease.

The Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust Fund (CART) is a project of the Rotary Clubs of North America. Founded in 1995 in Sumter SC, CART provides financial support for Alzheimer’s research projects that are yet to be supported by extensive preliminary data but have the potential to substantially advance biomedical research. Learn more at www.cartfund.org