According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common age-associated neurodegenerative disease affecting more than 6 million Americans. Two third of AD patients are women, one in three seniors dies with AD or another dementia. BBB dysfunction and neuroinflammation have been described as potential contributing factors for AD development and progression. These risk factors are seeming to be sex-related, representing a higher risk to women. However, there are no studies evaluating the association between sex as a biological variable and dysfunction of BBB in AD.

The goal of the NVRCL is to understand the mechanisms underlying the dysfunction of BBB in AD in a sex-specific manner.

Using cutting-edge technology/methodologies, NVRCL aims to evaluate BBB dysfunction, in an in vitro and rodent AD model, as well as in deidentified and classified AD human samples. By these studies we will contribute to the understanding of sexual dimorphic changes in diseased brains, on the pathology and progression of AD. Ultimately, our approaches will help to provide potential personalized therapeutic interventions targeting BBB dysfunction.