Alzheimer's Disease Research - Current Award
|
Eric Schon, Ph.D.
Columbia University
New York, NY
Title: ER-Mitochondrial interactions in familial Alzheimer's disease
Non-Technical Title: Mitochondrial defects in familial Alzheimer’s disease
Duration: April 1, 2008 - March 31, 2010
Award Type: Pilot
Award Amount: $150,000 |
Details:
We have discovered that presenilin-1, a protein that, when mutated, causes familial (i.e. inherited) Alzheimer disease, is located in a specialized compartment of the cell, called endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria-associated membranes (ER-MAM). This novel finding suggests a new mechanism by which the disease arises. We propose a number of experiments aimed at understanding the role of ER-MAM in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease.