The Foundation’s External Awards Program has selected a new project to fund in the third quarter of 2020. Petr Tvrdik, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, will lead a study titled, “Enhancing Neurogenesis by Focused Ultrasound–Mediated Plasmid Delivery.” For this study, Dr. Tvrdik will collaborate with Rich Price, PhD, to use focused ultrasound and microbubbles to create new brain cells, or neurons.
A hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases is a gradual decrease in the growth of new neurons – a marker of neuroplasticity – within the hippocampus of the brain. This team of researchers will attempt to reverse this loss of neuroplasticity by using focused ultrasound to deliver a promising gene therapy.