Evgeny Rogaev, PhD
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester, Massachusetts

2003 T. L. L. Temple Foundation Discovery Award

Mutations in a protein called presenilin cause one of the rare, inherited forms of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Since the discovery of presenilin several yeas ago, scientists have identified some of presenilin’s functions, as well as ways in which it could contribute to Alzheimer’s. Scientists have recently discovered a family of proteins called the IMPs, which are structurally similar to presenilin. This structural similarity raises the possibility that IMPs may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, possibly by interacting with presenilin.

Evgeny Rogaev, PhD, and his colleagues will conduct epidemiologic studies to determine whether mutations or even normal variations in structure of the individual IMPs either predispose people to Alzheimer’s or protect them from the disease. The researchers will also conduct laboratory experiments to discover what role IMPs play in brain cells, and especially whether they interact or overlap with presenilin. These experiments may open up new fields of investigation into the molecular causes of Alzheimer’s disease.