USA Scientists Win Grant To Study Pneumonia Impact

Scientists at the University of South Alabama (USA) aim to understand the impact of pneumonia on the brain with a $2.68-million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Dr. Amy R. Nelson, an associate professor of physiology and cell biology at the USA Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, is principal investigator of the project, which brings together experts in brain and lung biology. Postoperative pneumonia, also known as hospital-acquired pneumonia, can occur following surgery and increases the length of hospital stay and chance of mortality. Some pneumonia survivors, including those with post-intensive care unit syndrome, experience cognitive deficits, reducing their quality of life and causing healthcare and financial hardships. The study is funded over a five-year period and includes USA contributors Dr. Mike Lin, Dr. Mikhail Alexeyev, Dr. Ron Balczon, Dr. Osama Elkadi and Dr. Troy Stevens. Lin said, “The main focus of this study is whether cytotoxic tau from the lungs impacts cells supporting brain blood vessels. We will also determine the impact of the greatest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, apolipoprotein E4, on brain injury during pneumonia. Previous studies have shown that apolipoprotein E4 carriers had a greater prevalence of dying from COVID-19. The link between apolipoprotein E4 and pneumonia is an understudied new direction that perhaps may explain why E4 carriers have an increased risk of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease.”