Impact Stories

How have your dual roles as a widely recognized Alzheimer’s researcher and director of a research center shaped your approach as a researcher?

I have been an Alzheimer’s researcher since the late 1980s and started the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging (Center) in the early 2000s. One of the reasons we started the Center was that a lot of research here at PCOM involved the aging process from birth to death, as well as chronic disorders, particularly in the neurological and nervous systems. Chronic diseases of aging were a natural focal point for us to bring together multiple areas of inquiry in the Center, to advance our understanding of how these diseases evolve. Such a holistic approach to research fits well with osteopathic medicine’s whole-person philosophy and has created new avenues for exploration.

What discoveries and innovations have you and the team at the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging made?

I have been focused most recently on infection in Alzheimer’s. Our research has resulted in significant discoveries regarding the potential link between infections and neurodegeneration. I study a respiratory pathogen called Chlamydia pneumoniae. It is a ubiquitous, respiratory chlamydia organism to which many people are exposed. It is also presents in patients with various asymptomatic diseases as well as other disease involvement, including asthma, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Years ago, we found evidence that the Chlamydia pneumoniae organism was present in the brain tissue of individuals who had died of Alzheimer’s. We were the first to report it in 1998 and I have studied it ever since. We conduct studies and inquiries with cell models, animal models and evaluations of human tissues. In doing so, we realized the organism appears to enter our brains through olfaction, our sense of smell, and through the bloodstream by infecting white blood cells.

In our process of discovery, we also realized the Chlamydia pneumoniae organism and other infectious agents can turn on the processing of the amyloid precursor protein into the bad forms of amyloid peptides that you see in plaques associated with Alzheimer’s. Those same infections also activate inflammatory reactions in the brain that can lead to cell damage. Protein buildup and inflammation are two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. We believe the Chlamydia pneumoniae organism may be one of the precursors or initiators of the changes in brain tissue that leads to Alzheimer’s, and potentially, to other neurodegenerative diseases.

What does your research imply for the future of Alzheimer’s patient care?

For years, a focus has been on genetic mutations and other gene risks that provoked amyloid plaque to develop and cause Alzheimer’s. We are exploring a different possibility: that amyloid plaque production is an outcome of cellular processes stemming from infection. These findings suggest the possibility of new early detection methods, which would pave the way for different approaches to screening, diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

How has the funding investment from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation furthered your research?

Our research and discoveries would not have happened without funding through the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation. Science is iterative, requiring multiple rounds of replication and experiments. It takes expensive equipment and lots of time. This kind of iteration and investment is more difficult when your funding is uncertain. Funding like the investments the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation has made truly sustains our research work in the long term and has exceptional value.

At the Center, the Foundation’s funding investments have supported research looking into treatments for COVID, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease and examinations of many other major conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy, prostate cancer and atrial fibrillation. These findings have led to the creation of three different start-up companies working to translate those evidence-based research findings into practical applications affecting patient care. The Foundation’s sustained partnership has been essential in supporting novel and innovative inquiries, driving positive outcomes and making new discoveries.

How has osteopathic medicine’s holistic approach influenced and guided your work?

Working within osteopathic institutions offers constant opportunities to take a broader, holistic view. Our work at PCOM involves basic science, clinical research and some translational research, but the goal is to always look for evidence that advances patient care.

Using the example of Alzheimer’s, research that uncovers new evidence of infection in the bloodstream of individuals with the disease can result in the development of diagnostic tools that tell us if patients have been exposed to a certain type of infection. Then we can treat the infection effectively and hopefully prevent the development of disease in the future. This aligns with osteopathic medicine’s focus on disease prevention and health promotion.

What is next for your research?

At the Center, we are most interested in expanding our inquiries into the links between various pathogens and chronic conditions of aging and engaging rising investigators. In this regard, we have recently developed another collaborative research center at PCOM, the Pathobiome Research Center, under the executive directorship of Nikki Schultek, with the mission of determining linkages between chronic infections and chronic disease. Younger generations have come into the field and are utilizing new techniques and models. I am excited to be a collaborator, mentor and advisor to them and help them understand this field, as well as support expanded examinations into other types of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia.

I will also continue in my area of research focus, which is exploring the processes around olfaction, infection and a variety of chronic conditions. The goal is to contribute valuable insights that bridge the gap between infectious agents and neurological disorders, ultimately influencing preventive measures and potential therapeutic interventions.

My own work developed in a similar direction. I have a background in microbiology and experimental neuropathology, two discrete fields that I have bridged, which has resulted in a great deal of serendipity. That is how science is done — through serendipity. You follow up on your findings, which may lead to something else interesting and relevant. We have been able to create the conditions for this sort of scientific discovery at the Center.