Researchers awarded $2.55m NHMRC Developments Grants to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and to treat chronic lung diseases

Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds and Professor Gary Anderson.
Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds and Professor Gary Anderson.

Researchers in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences have been awarded two two-year Development Grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), for over $2.55 million to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease associated with severe gum disease, and to develop inhaled medicines for chronic lung diseases like asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The Development Grants fund:

  • Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds, from the Melbourne Dental School, to conduct preclinical research to develop a multidomain vaccine against Alzheimer’s Disease associated with severe gum disease (Periodontitis-associated Alzheimer's Disease (PAD Vax)) – $1,287,122
  • Professor Gary Anderson, from the School of Biomedical Sciences, an inhaled JAG-1 inhibitor to treat muco-obstructive lung diseases - $1,263,398

“Prevention and cures for chronic disease are key priorities for the faculty. It’s fantastic to see this work in both lung disease and addressing potential causal infections associated with Alzheimer’s Disease receive funding to deliver benefit in this area,” said Professor Jane Gunn AO, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease associated with severe gum disease

There are currently no vaccines or drugs to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Severe gum disease is caused by the bacterium Pophyromonas gingivalis and Professor Eric Reynolds and collaborators have discovered toxic products of the bacterium in brains of deceased people with Alzheimer’s Disease. These bacterial toxic molecules have been linked to levels of disease in the brains of mice infected with P. gingivalis. These results suggest this disease-causing bacterium may cause or exacerbate the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease in some susceptible people with severe gum disease.

“The NHMRC-Development Grant will make it possible for us to develop a vaccine that targets the bacterium P. gingivalis and its toxins and thereby help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease in people affected by severe gum disease,” Professor Reynolds said.

Developing a new inhaler medicine for chronic lung diseases

The overproduction of mucus in our lungs is a common and difficult to treat problem in many chronic lung diseases such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Cystic Fibrosis. Professor Anderson and collaborators are targeting the JAG-1 molecule that is responsible for the over-production of mucus.

“Through this NHRMC Development Grant we are making inhalable molecules to bind JAG-1 and block its activity, thereby attacking the fundamental cause of mucus over- production in patients with chronic lung diseases,” said Professor Anderson.