|
|
 | |||||||||||||||||||
  |
Research
(back)
Local
Studies
Research is important where-ever it occurs, but when it occurs close to home there are additional benefits. It allows for access to promising new treatments earlier. It provides for an enhanced educational opportunity for local health care providers and attracts people with new ideas to the province. Here are some profiles of Alzheimer research happening right here in Manitoba. Dr. Ben Albensi Dr. Gordon Glazner
Dr. Gordon Glazner is an Assistant Professor in
Pharmacology at the
University of Manitoba, and is also the Principal Investigator in the
Division
of Neuroscience at the St. Boniface Research Centre. He is currently
studying
how a protein called Ameliod Beta kills cells, and is trying to find a
way to
stop that from happening so that he can prevent the onset of Alzheimer's
disease. His research involves a specialized part of the cell
called Endoplasmic
Reticulum (ER) that controls protein traffic and communicates the
cell’s
condition. The Ameliod Beta protein stresses the ER of the cell, and
the ER
sends signals to the cell to commit suicide. "We know that when the ER is stressed, cells will die,"
says Dr.
Glazner. "What is not known are the steps between the ER getting
stressed
and the death of the cell. We know that it happens, now we need to find
out how
it happens." The second aspect of his research is to inhibit the cell
from producing
Ameliod Beta so the stress to the cell can be avoided. "The Ameliod Beta is what causes the plaques (in the
brains of people
with Alzheimer Disease) that kills the cell. If we are able to inhibit
the
production of the Ameliod Beta protein, then we will be able to prevent
Alzheimer's disease." Dr. Glazner is in his second year of a two-year grant
being funded by the
Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, the Alzheimer Society of Canada,
AstraZeneca, and
the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This year the
Alzheimer
Society of Manitoba has committed over $240,000 to fund research
approved by the
National Research Program of the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Dr. Glazner's research is performed at the St. Boniface
General Hospital Research Centre. updated April 2003 |
"Many studies have been done to test the effectiveness of products
such as vitamin E, vitamin B, and gingko biloba in preventing Alzheimer's
disease. Mostly the findings are inconclusive, however research in
this area is ongoing.
|
