2022 Seed Grant
Akhila Rajan, Ph.D.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Dementia Society of America Seed Grant
Increased life expectancy has resulted in a higher incidence of age-related dementia, but treatments remain elusive. Obesity has been established as an independent risk factor for developing dementia. Yet, the mechanisms by which increased mid-life adiposity contributes to neuronal dysregulation, and subsequently to late-life dementia, remain largely unknown. This proposal seeks to address this fundamental gap by defining how adipocytes control brain function. Adipocyte to brain communication is critical to maintaining energy homeostasis. The molecular nature of how adipocytes talk to the brain is yet to be fully defined. Now excitingly, we found that Drosophila adipocytes transfer mitochondrial components to the central brain. Dr. Rajan’s observation that adipocyte-derived mitochondrial components are transferred to the brain hints at a novel mechanism by which adipocytes regulates brain physiology. Here, with support from the BRF, Dr. Rajan’s laboratory proposes to identify how fat-to-brain mitochondrial transfer occurs. Their investigations will lay the foundations for future understanding of how increased adiposity triggers neuronal decline and dementia. Crucially, Dr. Rajan’s findings will help develop novel strategies to treat and manage neurodegenerative disorders.
