EAGER: Optical and System Engineering Interrogation of Vascular Amyloid in Alzheimer's Disease

阿尔茨海默病是一种毁灭性的疾病，无法治愈，只有一些治疗症状的方法，不能阻止疾病的发展。这种疾病是美国第六大死亡原因，也是前十大死亡原因中唯一无法预防、治愈甚至减缓的疾病。该项目的目标是开发研究阿尔茨海默病对大脑血管网络影响的基本技术。阿尔茨海默病的一个主要原因是一种叫做淀粉样蛋白的蛋白质在脑组织中的积累。这种物质的沉积形成血管周围的骨骼结构，阻止血管扩张并向活跃细胞输送足够的氧气和能量。这种情况损害神经细胞，并有助于疾病的开始或进展。该团队将设计和开发成像技术，以前所未有的细节研究这种特定的影响。他们将利用收集到的数据开发计算机算法，根据获得的图像预测疾病的状态和进展。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating condition which has no cure and only some treatments for symptoms are available that do not stop the progression of the disease. This disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and the only one among the top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. The objective of this project is the development of the essential technologies to study the effect of Alzheimer's on the vascular network of the brain.A main cause of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation of a protein, called amyloid-beta in the brain tissue. Deposits of this substance form skeletal structures around the blood vessels which prevent the vessels from dilating and delivering enough oxygen and energy to active cells. This condition damages the nerve cells and contributes to the initiation or progression of the disease. The team will design and develop imaging technologies which allow the study of this specific effect in unprecedented details. They will use the collected data to develop computer algorithms to predict the state and progression of the disease based on the acquired images.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.