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，只有一些针对症状的治疗方法无法阻止疾病的发展。这种疾病是美国第六大死因，也是前十名中唯一一种无法预防、治愈甚至减缓的疾病。这个项目的目标是开发研究阿尔茨海默氏症对大脑血管网络影响的关键技术。阿尔茨海默氏病的一个主要原因是一种名为淀粉样β蛋白的蛋白质在脑组织中积累。这种物质的沉积在血管周围形成骨骼结构，防止血管扩张，并将足够的氧气和能量输送给活跃的细胞。这种情况会损害神经细胞，并导致疾病的开始或发展。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效应。他们将使用收集的数据来开发计算机算法，以根据获得的图像预测疾病的状态和进展。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.