Paula Grammas | George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island executive director
My parents emigrated from Greece in the 1950s. What they lacked in money, education and English, they made up for in work ethic. My dad took a job at a diner, and my mother worked as a seamstress in a clothing factory. Leaving everything behind was hard, but they saw the United States as a beacon.
My parents weren’t the type to hand down nuggets of wisdom, but their courage was a life lesson. In challenging times, it is easier to hope for a miracle, and sometimes prudent to stick with what’s known. But scientific discovery depends on the willingness to forge new paths, on the ability to look to the unknown and see a beacon.
I was a graduate student when I first became curious about the role of blood vessels in Alzheimer’s disease. It seemed like common sense, in a disease that kills brain cells, to investigate the environment that keeps those cells alive. But there was little interest back then in research beyond the mainstream, which focused on the buildup of amyloid-beta protein in the brain, characteristically found in Alzheimer’s.
Today, we know the link between heart and brain health is undeniable. I am no longer the outlier I was 30 years ago. At the Ryan Institute, I am fortunate to work with other researchers investigating underexplored areas of neuroscience, including blood vessels and inflammation. In the fight against brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, innovation is needed to bring new therapies to light.