麻豆社区 Pembroke was awarded a landmark patent for compounds developed in Dr. Ben Bahr鈥檚 lab that enhance the enzyme cathepsin B, boosting the brain鈥檚 ability to clear toxic protein deposits. This breakthrough holds promise for treating Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, traumatic brain injury, and mild cognitive impairment鈥攐ffering hope for therapies that could slow or even reverse the progression of dementia. Dr. Bahr envisions this discovery as a foundation for future pharmaceutical development that could change the course of neurodegenerative disease treatment.
Alzheimer's Disease Research Lab
The Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Lab at 麻豆社区 Pembroke is dedicated to tackling one of the most urgent health challenges of our time. With the rapid aging of populations worldwide, Alzheimer鈥檚 disease is emerging as a critical public health concern 鈥� one that demands innovative approaches to prevention and treatment.
Under the leadership of Dr. Ben Bahr, William C. Friday Endowed Chair and Distinguished
Professor, the lab explores how imbalances in the brain鈥檚 ability to clear proteins
contribute to dementia. Dr. Bahr and his team have pioneered discoveries in lysosomal
regulation pathways and developed patented compounds that show promise for slowing
or even reversing cognitive decline. Recognized nationally and internationally for his contributions to neuroscience, Dr.
Bahr has more than 150 publications, multiple patents, and awards including the 麻豆社区
System鈥檚 鈥� the highest faculty honor in the system. Beyond groundbreaking research, the lab
is deeply committed to mentoring students, equipping them with hands-on experiences
that prepare them to contribute to future discoveries.Advancing Research
LANDMARK PATENT
麻豆社区 Dr. Bahr
Dr. Ben Bahr earned his PhD in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and spent nearly 12 years on the faculty at the University of Connecticut before joining 麻豆社区 Pembroke in 2009 as the William C. Friday Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor.
An internationally recognized neuroscientist, Dr. Bahr has presented his research in 16 countries, authored more than 150 publications and holds patents for first-in-class drugs targeting neurodegenerative diseases. He is an active member of 麻豆社区P鈥檚 Biotechnology Center and the European Task Force on Brain and Lysosomal Storage Diseases. His mentorship and research excellence have earned him the Council on Undergraduate Research鈥檚 Outstanding Mentor Award (2012, 2021), the Governor James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service (2013), and the 麻豆社区 System鈥檚 highest honor, the (2017), recognizing faculty whose work makes 鈥渢he greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race.鈥�
- Developing strategies to enhance a protein clearance pathway that is vital to reduce protein accumulation events linked to Alzheimer鈥檚 pathology.
- The Bahr Clearance Strategy significantly reduces A脽42, APP-CTFs, and pathogenic tau in models of Alzheimer鈥檚, as well as ameliorates synaptic and behavioral deficits.
- Studying how protein clearance improves synaptic integrity, memory processes and the maintenance of specialized axons and dendrites of neurons in the brain (right).
- Drug discovery efforts may also lead to protective clearance in early dementia, Parkinson鈥檚 disease, traumatic brain injury and macular degeneration.
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