The case for establishing a blockchain research and development program at an academic medical center.

Objective: To develop a research and development program to study factors that will support research, education and innovation using blockchain technology for health in an effective and sustainable manner. We proposed to conduct qualitative research to generate insights for developing a market strategy to build a research lab for the promotion of blockchain technologies in health in academic environments. The team aimed to identify the key barriers and opportunities for developing a sustainable research lab that generates research, education, and application of blockchain in healthcare at an academic medical institution and test those strategies in a real-world scenario. Methods: The research team identified potential customers and stakeholders through interviews and snowball sampling. The team conducted semi-structured interviews with 4 faculty researchers, 10 industry leaders, and 6 students from a variety of disciplines and organizations. The findings of these research activities informed our understanding of the needs of stratified customers and helped identify key assets and activities the lab will have to offer to meet those needs. Results: The research insights from data analysis were used to build the business model for establishing a blockchain in health impact lab. This systematic study of areas where blockchain technology can impact health will guide the future development of research agenda for the researchers on campus. Conclusion: Based on our learnings, we hope to design a Blockchain in Health Impact Lab to serve as a platform for students and faculty to come together with industry partners and explore current challenges of blockchain in healthcare. The academic medical center's partnership with other healthcare providers will help create real-world opportunities to demonstrate and implement new technologies.

Deletion of presenilin 1 hydrophilic loop sequence leads to impaired gamma-secretase activity and exacerbated amyloid pathology.

gamma-Secretase processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) generates Abeta40 and Abeta42, peptides that constitute the principal components of the beta-amyloid plaque pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The gamma-secretase activity is executed by a high-molecular-weight complex of which presenilin 1 (PS1) is an essential component. PS1 is a multi-pass membrane protein, and the large hydrophilic loop domain between transmembrane domains 6 and 7 has been shown to interact with various proteins. To determine the physiological function of the loop domain, we created a strain of PS1 knock-in mice in which the exon 10, which encodes most of the hydrophilic loop sequence, was deleted from the endogenous PS1 gene. We report here that the homozygous exon 10-deleted mice are viable but exhibit drastically reduced gamma-secretase cleavage at the Abeta40, but not the Abeta42, site. Surprisingly, this reduction of Abeta40 is associated with exacerbated plaque pathology when expressed on APP transgenic background. Thus, the PS1 loop plays a regulatory role in gamma-secretase processing, and decreased Abeta40, not increased Abeta42 is likely the cause for the accelerated plaque deposition in these animals. Our finding supports a protective role of Abeta40 against amyloid pathology and raises the possibility that impaired gamma-secretase activity could be the basis for AD pathogenesis in general.

Lack of alpha-synuclein increases amyloid plaque accumulation in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Alpha-synuclein is a small soluble, cytosolic protein which associates with vesicular membranes. It is a component of intracellular Lewy bodies present in Parkinson's disease and a subset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition, early studies identified a fragment of alpha-synuclein in the amyloid plaques of AD patients. Hypothesizing that alpha-synuclein might modify the AD pathogenic process, we crossed the Tg2576 strain of APP transgenic mice onto an alpha-synuclein knockout background to determine the effects of alpha-synuclein on Abeta production and plaque deposition. We found that alpha-synuclein deficiency does not affect the Abeta levels, nor does it alter the age of onset of plaque pathology. To our surprise, however, loss of alpha-synuclein leads to a significant increase in plaque load in all areas of the forebrain at 18 months of age. This is associated with an increase in another synaptic protein, synaptophysin. We thus conclude that alpha-synuclein is not involved in seeding of the plaques, but rather suppresses the progression of plaque pathology at advanced stages.

In vivo axonal transport rates decrease in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Axonopathy is a pronounced attribute of many neurodegenerative diseases. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), axonal swellings and degeneration are prevalent and may contribute to the symptoms of AD senile dementia. Current limitations in identifying the contribution of axonal damage to AD include the inability to detect when this damage occurs in relation to other identifiers of AD because of the invasiveness of existing methods. To overcome this, we further developed the MRI methodology Manganese Enhanced MRI (MEMRI) to assess in vivo axonal transport rates. Prior to amyloid-beta (Abeta) deposition, the axonal transport rates in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD were normal. As Abeta levels increased and before plaque formation, we observed a significant decrease in axonal transport rates of the Tg2576 mice compared to controls. After plaque formation, the decline in the transport rate in the Tg2576 mice became even more pronounced. These data indicate that in vivo axonal transport rates decrease prior to plaque formation in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD.

Identification and characterization of the DNA-binding domain of the multifunctional PutA flavoenzyme.

The PutA flavoprotein from Escherichia coli is a transcriptional repressor and a bifunctional enzyme that regulates and catalyzes proline oxidation. PutA represses transcription of genes putA and putP by binding to the control DNA region of the put regulon. The objective of this study is to define and characterize the DNA binding domain of PutA. The DNA binding activity of PutA, a 1320 amino acid polypeptide, has been localized to N-terminal residues 1-261. After exploring a potential DNA-binding region and an N-terminal deletion mutant of PutA, residues 1-90 (PutA90) were determined to contain DNA binding activity and stabilize the dimeric structure of PutA. Cell-based transcriptional assays demonstrate that PutA90 functions as a transcriptional repressor in vivo. The dissociation constant of PutA90 with the put control DNA was estimated to be 110 nm, which is slightly higher than that of the PutA-DNA complex (K(d) approximately 45 nm). Primary and secondary structure analysis of PutA90 suggested the presence of a ribbon-helix-helix DNA binding motif in residues 1-47. To test this prediction, we purified and characterized PutA47. PutA47 is shown to purify as an apparent dimer, to exhibit in vivo transcriptional activity, and to bind specifically to the put control DNA. In gel-mobility shift assays, PutA47 was observed to bind cooperatively to the put control DNA with an overall dissociation constant of 15 nm for the PutA47-DNA complex. Thus, N-terminal residues 1-47 are critical for DNA-binding and the dimeric structure of PutA. These results are consistent with the ribbon-helix-helix family of transcription factors.