PhD defence: Jasper Carlsen
Proteomics Research from Aarhus University Sheds Light on Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease and Rare Metabolic Disorders
Info about event
Time
Location
Conference rooms J116-111 & J116-112, Aarhus University Hospital
On Friday 29 November at 13:00, Jasper Carlsen defends his PhD dissertation entitled "Molecular Disease Phenotyping and Treatment Evaluation in Ethylmalonic Encephalopathy and Alzheimer’s Disease using Mass Spectrometry Omics".
Rethinking Ethylmalonic Encephalopathy.
Ethylmalonic Encephalopathy (EE) is a rare disorder caused by an inability to break down sulfide, a natural chemical that in normal levels helps relax blood vessels. In EE, sulfide builds up to toxic levels, blocking the body’s energy production and causing serious symptoms early in life. The project explored the use of cobinamide, a natural compound related to vitamin B12, to clear excess sulfide from the body. In laboratory and animal models, cobinamide has shown potential in neutralizing sulfide safely. However, despite its success in these models, cobinamide had limited effect in tests with cells and mice affected by EE. This unexpected result led to a re-evaluation of what drives EE, suggesting that the disease may involve more than just sulfide buildup and highligting new mechanisms that might give rise to the symptoms. This research could open new directions for understanding and treating EE by focusing on other underlying mechanisms of the disease.
Protecting Brain Health in Alzheimer’s Disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is often accompanied by accumulation of protein debris around brain blood vessels. This can worsen disease progression and complicate treatment. To understand the effects of this buildup, brain tissue from a mouse model that mimics this disease feature was examined. To counteract these damaging changes, a class of well tolerated drugs used for treating mountain sickness and glaucoma, was tested. Remarkably, in agreement with recent reports, both drugs from this class reduced many of the harmful protein changes, helping to preserve vital brain connections in the Alzheimer’s model. This suggests that these repurposed drugs could be effective in slowing down the disease’s progression by maintaining brain health longer, potentially offering a new avenue for Alzheimer’s treatment.
The summary is written by the PhD student.
The defence is public and takes place in conference rooms J116-111 & J116-112, Aarhus University Hospital and on zoom. Please see the press release for more information.
Contact
PhD student Jasper Carlsen
Mail: jaca@clin.au.dk
Phone: +45 60535589