For decades, Alzheimer’s disease research has focused almost exclusively on harmful proteins in the brain. But scientists at The University of Texas at San Antonio are taking a new approach to how the disease is understood and treated.

The human body hosts vast communities of bacteria that influence health in ways scientists are only beginning to fully understand. In recent years, scientists have turned increasing attention to microbiomes as potential contributors to brain health and neurodegenerative disease.

  Claudia Suemoto, MD, PhD, from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio), has been awarded a $500,000 UT System Faculty STARs (Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention) award to tackle urgent research gaps in dementia. South Texas offers a distinct blend of genetic and environmental factors rarely explored in neurodegenerative research. […]

The University of Texas at San Antonio was recently awarded a highly competitive Alzheimer’s Association research grant to investigate the gene-environment interaction and how it may contribute to an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The grant will begin in April and provides $200,000 to fund the study over the next three years.