NEUROSCIENCE Unravelling Mechanisms of Synaptic Plasticity in Health and Neurodegenerative Diseases (PI: Prof. Nancy IP) In 2017, this cross-institutional research project led by HKUST was selected as an Areas of Excellence (AoE) Scheme and awarded HK$63.578 million from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong for an eight-year period consisting of two phases. This project aims to lay crucial groundwork for delineating the key molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Advancement of this initiative will greatly facilitate the development of new therapeutics that improve the lives of millions of affected patients worldwide, while highlighting Hong Kong’s excellent neuroscience research capacities and infrastructure. Between 2017 and mid-2020, efforts focused upon the AoE Scheme resulted in the publication of 92 scientific papers in high-impact journals, along with 132 invited talks at international conferences and academic institutions. By sharing expertise and insights as well as research technology and materials, team members have established collaborations both locally and internationally, successfully endeavoring novel developments and findings. Identifying Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease for the Development of Targeted Therapy (PI: Prof. Nancy IP) Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects over 50 million people worldwide; it involves the loss of brain cells and progressive memory loss. Traditional diagnostic methods are expensive, invasive, and often unavailable in many countries. Collaborating with researchers from University College London and clinicians at Hong Kong hospitals, Prof. Nancy Ip and her team have systematically quantified over 1000 plasma proteins with an ultrasensitive blood-based protein detection technology to identify dysregulated proteins in AD patients. They have developed a scoring system that can distinguish AD patients from healthy individuals with over 96% accuracy, and differentiate between early, intermediate, and late stages of AD for monitoring disease progression. This study has formed a strong foundation for the development of targeted therapy for AD, which can be optimized for different populations around the world. 15
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