Clearing toxic tau by boosting mitochondrial cleanup to protect memory and brain connections
Official title: Tau clearance and synaptic and cognitive function rescue by activation of mitochondrial clearance in tauopathy model
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11297677 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project boosts a natural mitochondrial cleanup protein called PINK1 to try to remove toxic tau and protect memory and brain connections for people with Alzheimer’s.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,132,981 |
| NIH project number | 4RF1AG078351-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11297677 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The likely target population would be people with Alzheimer’s disease or related tauopathies, especially those in early to moderate stages if human trials are developed.
✕Less likely to help
People whose dementia is driven mainly by non-tau causes (for example pure vascular dementia) or those in very advanced, end-stage disease may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
Researchers will use laboratory and animal models of tau-related Alzheimer’s to study whether increasing PINK1 activity helps cells clear toxic tau. They will test genetic and drug-based ways to boost PINK1, then measure mitochondrial health, inflammation, synaptic connections, and memory-like behavior in the models. The team aims to develop and validate a PINK1-enhancing drug-like compound and show it can reduce tau burden and rescue cognitive function in preclinical models. Findings would guide whether this approach should move toward human testing.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to treatments that remove toxic tau, protect synapses, and slow or improve memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease.
How similar studies have gone: Some preclinical studies support enhancing mitophagy as helpful, but this specific PINK1-enhancer strategy is largely preclinical and has not yet been tested in patients.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yan, Shirley Shidu — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Yan, Shirley Shidu
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.