Bess Frost was recently appointed as the Salame-Feraud director of the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, which is a joint center between Brown University’s Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science and the Division of Biology and Medicine.
Frost is coming from the University of Texas Health Science Center, where she is the Bartell Zachry distinguished professor for research in neurodegenerative disorders. She is also an associate professor at the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity & Aging Studies, the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy.
Frost’s research has focused on basic neurobiology of brain aging and neurodegeneration. Her work has helped show how tau, a protein in Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases, spreads throughout the brain.
PBN: What drew you to joining Brown University?
FROST: Several aspects of the discoveries we've made in my own lab were actually inspired by science coming out of Brown. The scientific environment of the Carney Institute, the Division of Biology and Medicine, and the greater research community at Brown is very strong and complements the interests and expertise of my team.
I'm excited to work with other investigators focused on neuroscience, aging and RNA biology at Brown, and am thrilled by the opportunity to lead and build an internationally recognized program in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
PBN: What are your priorities for your new role?
FROST: My primary focus as the Salame-Feraud director of the Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research is to bridge the gap between research breakthroughs and the clinic. Building collaborations among scientists, clinicians and the community is central to achieving this objective.
I will further expand our team by recruiting accomplished faculty focused on understanding the fundamental biology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and will have new initiatives to foster research that integrates insights from public health experts and clinical investigators.
PBN: What recent trends have you noticed in Alzheimer’s disease research?
FROST: A major historical challenge for clinical trials has been the ability to enroll subjects who are very early in the disease course, which is the time when we really want to intervene. The past five years have seen an explosion in new discoveries related to disease diagnosis and tracking disease stage based on proteins present in blood.
I think the ability to widely diagnose Alzheimer's disease and other dementias through a blood test is in the very near future. We are almost there for Alzheimer's disease, but the technology needs to be adapted in order to scale up for the general population.
PBN: Your research has shown how the protein tau can help brain diseases spread. What role do you see tau playing in ongoing and future research of Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases?
FROST: The two major neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease are amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Decades of research show that pathogenic forms of tau are very toxic to neurons and drive neuroinflammation. These tau protein deposits are also present in many neurodegenerative disorders beyond Alzheimer's disease – progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, and traumatic brain injury, to name a few.
Focusing on tau biology and tau-based therapies thus expands our scientific and clinical impact beyond Alzheimer's disease. New clinical trials, including one led by my team, have tested new therapies that target the toxic effects of tau in individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. I'm very excited by the results of these small trials and look forward to testing these therapies in larger populations.
PBN: What are some of the causes for Alzheimer’s disease?
FROST: There are certain genetic mutations that cause Alzheimer's disease, but these are relatively rare. There are also genetic factors that predispose individuals to Alzheimer's disease but don't necessarily mean that someone will definitely get the disease.
Various environmental factors and life experiences – such as traumatic brain injury – can increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease but are still not well understood.
Ultimately, leading an active lifestyle with plenty of exercise, a balanced diet and strong social interactions is currently the best way to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
