BCM researcher awarded grant to advance new ways to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease

Dr. Ryan S. Dhindsa, assistant professor of pathology & immunology at Baylor College of Medicine and principal investigator at Texas Children’s Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) has been awarded the American Brain Foundation’s Cure One, Cury Many award in Neuroinflammation to study how viral infections may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

This research grant, which funds up to $2 million total, could help open the door to entirely new ways to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease – including antiviral therapies, vaccines and more personalized care for patients at risk.

Dhindsa leads the project alongside co-investigators Dr. Caleb Lareau of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Dr. Artem Babaian of the University of Toronto. Together, the team brings expertise spanning human genetics, computational biology, and virology, a combination designed to tackle one of the most pressing open questions in neuroscience.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and is projected to affect more than 150 million people globally by 2050. Despite decades of research, scientists still do not fully understand why many people develop the disease, limiting the ability to prevent or stop its progression.

This project will focus on a growing idea in science: that viruses, and the body’s immune response to them, may play a significant and underrecognized role in triggering Alzheimer’s disease. His research aims to identify which viruses may matter most, why some people are more vulnerable than others, and how those findings could inform future treatments.

To do this, the researchers will analyze genetic and health data from more than one million individuals, searching for patterns that link viral exposures, immune responses and Alzheimer’s disease. The team will also study brain tissue at the single-cell level and test findings in laboratory models using human stem cell–derived brain cells to better understand how infection may contribute to neurodegeneration.

The team’s approach is distinct in that it leverages existing genomic data at an unprecedented scale – analyzing information that is often overlooked in traditional studies. By identifying viral DNA within these datasets, the research has the potential to uncover previously hidden connections between infection, genetics and disease that could not be detected using conventional methods.

“It is an honor to receive this support from the Cure One, Cure Many Award. Viral infections are emerging as a major, underappreciated driver of Alzheimer's disease, and this award will allow our team to conduct the most comprehensive screen of viral exposures and host genetics in Alzheimer's to date, spanning over a million individuals,” said Dhindsa. “Our goal is to identify which viruses matter most, why some people are more vulnerable than others, and ultimately move the field closer to new therapeutic strategies for patients.”

This work reflects Texas Children’s commitment to advancing cutting-edge neuroscience research that bridges discovery and clinical impact, with the goal of improving outcomes for patients affected by complex neurological conditions.

The Cure One, Cure Many Award supports bold research in neuroinflammation with the potential to accelerate discoveries across multiple neurological diseases.