Glycan changes on brain blood vessels and their role in Alzheimer’s-related brain vascular disease
Official title: Exploring glycan-protein interactions at the blood-brain barrier in cerebral amyloid angiopathy
Funded at Texas Tech University Health Scis Center · NIH-11425684 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying how sugar molecules on brain blood vessel surfaces affect the buildup of amyloid and the development of cerebral amyloid angiopathy in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Tech University Health Scis Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lubbock, United States) |
| Project start | September 16, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $680,689 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AG102717-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11425684 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease or cerebral amyloid angiopathy, or those who have brain tissue samples available for analysis, may be suitable for related studies or future trials.
✕Less likely to help
The research may be most informative for those with Alzheimer’s disease or CAA and may not directly benefit individuals without these conditions.
What this research studies
This project looks at brain endothelial cells and how their surface sugars, specifically chondroitin sulfate chains, influence the clearance of amyloid beta that can accumulate in the brain’s blood vessels. Using advanced methods, the study will examine how different sulfation patterns on these sugars impact interactions with amyloid and perivascular clearance pathways. The goal is to identify mechanisms that worsen cerebral amyloid angiopathy in Alzheimer’s patients and to point toward new treatment approaches that protect blood vessel integrity. The work is conducted with human-relevant tissue analyses and molecular techniques that bridge basic biology to conditions seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding this mechanism could lead to new strategies to slow or prevent blood vessel-related complications in Alzheimer’s disease.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has linked altered brain glycosaminoglycans to Alzheimer’s pathology, but the specific impact of endothelial CS sulfation on perivascular Aβ clearance in CAA is still being explored.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas Tech University Health Scis Center
Lubbock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Logsdon, Aric Flint — Texas Tech University Health Scis Center
- Study coordinator: Logsdon, Aric Flint
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.