Ongoing research conducted in the department of biological sciences may one day help make strides toward therapeutic advances in the treatment of diseases that involve the loss of memory and brain degeneration such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and stroke.
Colin Saldanha, associate professor of biological sciences, was named a recipient of a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for "Synaptic Aromatase: A Novel Form of Estrogen Delivery." The $1.8 million grant extends a five-year NIH grant that was first awarded to Saldanha in 2002, and will allow Saldanha to move to the next phase of research.
"The brain has been mysterious for a long time and we're just starting to pick away at it," says Saldanha, who is exploring how hormones, particularly estrogen, affect the brain. "In 150-odd years, we've learned a lot about how hormones work, and the science we do here is a modest and gentle nudge toward extending the field."
Murray Itzkowitz, chair of the department of biological sciences, says: "Colin's research about how hormones mediate neuronal communication is at the cutting edge of neuroendocrinology. I am not surprised that Colin continues to be funded by the National Institutes of Health because his work is not only innovative in terms of basic biology, but-when viewed in terms of learning and memory-has critical implications for human health issues."
