Dr. Malu Tansey, assistant professor of physiology, has received a $200,000 grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to study the role of neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease.
Dr. Tansey, one of 11 international researchers selected, will specifically examine the role that elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) - a proinflammatory cytokine that helps fight infection in the body - plays in the loss of dopamine-producing neurons that leads to Parkinson's disease.
Findings from the research may suggest novel therapeutic approaches to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease and possibly other neurodegenerative diseases.
"Increased levels of TNF and its receptors are evident in postmortem brains and cerebrospinal fluid of Parkinson's patients," said Dr. Tansey, a graduate of Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. "TNF levels are rapidly elevated in all experimental models of Parkinson's disease, and dopaminergic neurons, which are lost in Parkinson's disease, are extremely sensitive to TNF. This information leads us to believe that TNF-driven inflammatory responses play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of the disease."
Dr. Tansey's research interests include the mechanisms of neuronal survival and death. Specifically, the cellular and biochemical mechanisms utilized by the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family of ligands to activate the receptor tyrosine kinase and promote the survival and differentiation of many neuronal populations are being studies, she said.
"We also will use our neuronal models to identify mechanisms that injure dopaminergic neurons and determine whether these contribute to neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration in diseases like Parkinson's," Dr. Tansey said.
Founded in 2000, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research has established a strategic campaign to accelerate, expand and focus funding on the world's most promising research seeking effective treatment and prevention of Parkinson's disease. The foundation launched its research initiative into the role that inflammation plays in Parkinson's disease earlier this year.
