A team of researchers from USC’s Keck School of Medicine has received a $3.4 million federal grant to advance research into an innovative approach to slow age-related cognitive decline.
The award comes from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which funds transformational research to tackle challenging health problems. The grant is part of ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health initiative to address critical unmet challenges in women’s health, advance transformative innovations, and address health issues that uniquely or disproportionately impact women. USC will receive $3.4 million in funding over two years through the Sprint for Women’s Health initiative for early-stage research efforts.
Young-Kwon Hong, PhD, chief of the Division of Basic Science Research in the Department of Surgery at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, and his team are working to slow age-related cognitive decline in women by helping clear the brain’s lymphatic system more waste.
Due to their longer lifespan, older women are more susceptible to dementia and neurodegenerative disorders. Two out of three patients with cognitive decline are women.”
Dr. Young-Kwon Hong, PhD, chief of the Division of Basic Scientific Research in the Department of Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC
Dr. Hong and his team have already discovered a drug that can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease by improving the performance of the brain’s lymphatic system. They believe that by clearing out the build-up of waste in the brain, they can slow the progress of cognitive decline. Their Sprint for Women’s Health project will test the combination of that drug with targeted ultrasound treatment to speed up waste removal.
“Anyone with a loved one in cognitive decline knows how devastating – and terrifying – this can be for the patient and for everyone around them. I believe that combining targeted ultrasound therapy with our drug therapy can bring hope to thousands of people. We may even be able to refine the treatment into a simple at-home process. This has enormous potential to help people maintain their dignity and their connections with loved ones.”
ARPA-H sought solutions across six topics important to women’s health, and received an unprecedented response of submissions: more than 1,700 from 34 countries, with only 24 applicants receiving funding. ARPA-H launched the Sprint for Women’s Health in February, with First Lady Jill Biden announcing the funding as the first major achievement of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.
The ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health is being conducted in partnership with ARPANET-H’s Investor Catalyst Hub, the agency’s nationwide health innovation network that connects people, innovators and institutions to accelerate better health outcomes for all. USC will work with an ARPA-H Program Manager and the Investor Catalyst Hub for two years to develop their proposed solution, receiving milestone-based payments aligned with research activities and performance objectives.
About the Department of Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC
Under the leadership of Department Chair Vaughn A. Starnes, MD, the Department of Surgery at USC’s Keck School of Medicine has developed a strong focus on scientific research. The program actively works to advance both clinical research and bench science, providing both financial support and a structure to ensure researchers establish rigorous scientific protocols. In addition, promising surgical physicians can spend up to two years conducting pure research and have the opportunity to present their findings at national conferences.
“I am extremely proud of the work Dr. Hong is doing,” said Dr. Starnes. “This started out of a personal interest and an educated hunch he had. Giving our investigators the support they need to pursue that will benefit our entire community.”
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