Finding medicines that boost cells' stress-protection to help preserve brain cells
Official title: Discovering Small Molecule Activators of Stress-Responsive Signaling
Funded at Scripps Research Institute, the · NIH-11457043 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are developing small molecules that turn on a cell's natural stress-response to try to protect people with Alzheimer's and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Scripps Research Institute, the NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2013 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $905,683 |
| NIH project number | 4R01AG046495-12 |
| Project ID | NIH-11457043 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia, or those willing to donate biological samples for research, could be candidates for follow-up studies or future clinical trials stemming from this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without neurodegenerative disease or those seeking an immediate treatment are unlikely to benefit directly from this early-stage laboratory research.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one has Alzheimer's or a related dementia, this project is trying to find drugs that strengthen cells' ability to handle misfolded proteins and other stress. The team uses laboratory screens, chemistry to optimize promising compounds, and tests in cell and animal models that mimic Alzheimer's biology. The goal is to restore protective signaling pathways (like ATF6 and other unfolded protein response arms) that decline with age and disease. This is mainly early-stage, preclinical work aimed at creating drug candidates that could move toward human trials in the future.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could slow or prevent brain-cell damage in Alzheimer's by boosting the cells' protective stress-response.
How similar studies have gone: Related laboratory and animal studies show that enhancing unfolded protein response pathways can protect cells, but clinical benefit in people has not yet been established.
Where this research is happening
-
Scripps Research Institute, the
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kelly, Jeffery W — Scripps Research Institute, the
- Study coordinator: Kelly, Jeffery W
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.