NSU Faculty Members Receive Grant for Alzheimer’s Research

Nova Southeastern University researchers Benedict C. Albensi, Ph.D., BCMAS, CRQM; and Lisa Robison, Ph.D.; recently received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for their research on Alzheimer’s disease.

They will receive $616,000 over a period of four years for their project titled “Sex-based differences of a high fat diet in Alzheimer’s disease (AD): Can nilotinib reverse bioenergetic and neuropathological deficits?” The grant was given under the NIH Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Professor Albensi – the principal investigator of the project – is the chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences with the Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy. Robison – the co-investigator – is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at NSU’s College of Psychology.

“This grant specifically looks at a couple key features of Alzheimer’s disease that I have been studying for several years,” Albensi said.

1. Sex differences: About two thirds of women get AD and we do not exactly know why that is the case. Longevity alone does not explain why. This study will look at sex differences with an emphasis on brain metabolism.
2. Diet and exercise have a tremendous effect on our health and specifically on brain metabolism. Some scientists estimate we can reduce both AD and cancer by 40-50% with better nutrition and optimal exercise. This study will look at the effects of high fat diets, especially fats that are not healthy for us.
3. In this study we will look at ways to reverse the negative effects of a high fat diet.

“So overall I have been studying and publishing on sex differences, memory dysfunction, brain metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, nutritional interventions, in AD,” Albensi said. “My co-investigator, Lisa Robison, has also been studying sex differences in AD and memory changes in AD.”

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R16NS134540. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Posted 05/07/23