An Introduction to the 20th Race Against Dementia Fellow.
Today marks a major milestone for Race Against Dementia. Eight years after Sir Jackie Stewart founded the charity, we have now achieved a full grid of dementia researchers.
This refers to the 20 drivers and cars that line up on the racetrack in Formula One. Each with a different style and technical team pursuing victory from a different angle.
Victory in this race is discovering preventions and cures for dementia – faster.
Dr Audrey Low is based in the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota – USA.
After completing her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the National University of Singapore, Audrey worked as a research assistant and Clinical Research Coordinator at the National Institute of Neuroscience in Singapore. Then Audrey went on to complete her PhD in psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. Most recently Audrey as completed her postdoctoral qualification at the Old Age Psychiatry Group at Cambridge.
Audrey’s Research
Biomarkers are signals from the body that can tell doctors and researchers about what is going on in the brain, without directly looking at it. Biomarkers can detect dementia.
New biomarkers are really important to ensure that dementia is detected early, giving patients more opportunities for interventions and potential treatments.
When a person has Alzheimer’s disease, two harmful proteins build-up in the brain and cause the symptoms we associate with the disease – a decline in memory and thinking ability.
A healthy brain can clear away this toxic build-up of proteins. They are normally drained away in the fluid that surrounds the blood vessels in the brain. However, in Alzheimer’s disease this drainage system seems to stop working and areas of fluid build-up.
Audrey’s research will investigate whether the fluid build-up in these spaces is also connected to the toxic proteins that are known to cause Alzheimer’s. If they are connected, then simple brain imaging of these fluid spaces could be used as a biomarker to detect the early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.
“During my fellowship, I will study the role of brain vessel health in dementia. Because the brain cannot store energy, it relies on a constant supply of blood via its vessels. If this is disrupted, brain cells quickly starve and die, leading to problems with cognition and other functions. Given the importance of brain vessels in maintaining the function of the brain, my research will investigate how the health of these vessels explains why some people are more resilient or resistant to developing dementia, as well as identify the earliest markers and predictors of dementia and the factors that increase one’s risk, or protects against it.
“markers and predictors of dementia and the factors that increase one’s risk, or protects against it.”
A key focus will be an MRI marker known as perivascular spaces (PVS), which have been historically overlooked but are rapidly gaining attention today for their role in clearing the brain of toxic substances like amyloid and tau (the key proteins of Alzheimer’s). Importantly, PVS are detectable very early in the disease process, which could help shed light on the early processes leading to dementia.
I am hopeful that findings could help:
- identify new treatment targets to guide the development of new drugs and prevention strategies
- detailed analysis of PVS morphology could reveal specific patterns of PVS that clinicians should look for when reviewing brain scans to improve treatment decisions and prognosis.”
Audrey will be using advanced techniques to generate 3D maps of perivascular spaces from human brain scans. Based on these 3D maps, Audrey can then extract objective measurements of PVS for every research volunteer (e.g., number of PVS, total volume of PVS), and detailed information like PVS location, distribution, and even their shapes.
“Depending on the stage of my project, an average day at the Mayo Clinic will involve:
- Writing and optimizing a computer software to automate the creation of 3D maps of perivascular spaces from brain scans
- Forming collaborations with other leading experts in the field
- Conducting neuroimaging analysis
- Data analysis of large datasets with rich neuroimaging and clinical data on high-performance computing resources.
“To me, being a Race Against Dementia Fellow means having not only the resources to conduct groundbreaking research but also the support, training, and collaborations to propel our work to new heights. I have felt incredibly supported since starting my fellowship, especially witnessing how Race Against Dementia itself embodies the Formula 1 mindset in the many ways it supports dementia research and researchers.
I cannot think of another funder who is more proactive in identifying the barriers that impede our pace of scientific progress, or as strategic in tearing these barriers down.
Beyond funding our research, I find it a unique privilege that Race Against Dementia also invests in our professional development. As part of their bespoke training program, we are equipped with the Formula 1 mindset, empowering us to accelerate scientific breakthroughs.”
Learn more about the global team of Race Against Dementia Fellows HERE
