Cynthia Kelm-Nelson, PhD
Department of Surgery Senior Scientist Cynthia Kelm-Nelson, PhD was recently awarded two grants that will further her research into Parkinson’s disease, a brain-based disorder that is most commonly associated with movement-related symptoms such as tremors and stiffness. Parkinson’s disease is typically diagnosed in the mid-stage of disease, after significant irreversible damage to the neurons in the brain has already occurred. However, in the decades leading up to diagnosis there are likely a host of early brain-based changes and symptoms that appear. It is this early – or pre-clinical – stage of Parkinson’s disease that Kelm-Nelson studies.
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Grant: Parkinson’s disease is difficult to study in humans because the age of onset, specific symptoms, progression, and the patient’s environment can vary significantly. Kelm-Nelson’s research evaluates Parkinson-like symptoms in Pink1-/- genetic pre-clinical models. These models have a genetic deletion to mimic an early-onset form of the disease. With a new three-year, $697,000 grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), Kelm-Nelson’s team will compare a commonly used Pink1 pre-clinical model to a novel, updated PINK1 pre-clinical model recently made by MJFF with different genetic engineering technology. Ultimately, this work will help researchers select the best model to study and learn about the earliest stage of Parkinson’s disease, before it is officially diagnosed.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant Renewal: Kelm-Nelson has a particular interest in the vocal communication deficits that impact 90% of patients with Parkinson’s disease. With the support of NIH funding over the last five years, her team found that inflammation affecting the vocal pathways in the brain may be the trigger for the development of these deficits. She recently learned that the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is going to renew her funding for an additional five years, providing her with $2.66 million to further study the role of inflammation in the development of vocal deficits. Using the Pink1-/- rat, Kelm-Nelson’s team will identify the mechanisms by which inflammation impacts vocal pathways in the brain and determine whether existing anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to improve vocal communication dysfunction that is related to this disease.
“Parkinson’s disease is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder in the United States, and it’s annual economic burden of $51.9 billion places significant stress on our healthcare system,” explained Kelm-Nelson. “Earlier identification of the signs and symptoms of the disease could help us intervene earlier, reducing both the progression of the disease over time and the burden it places on patients and the economy as a whole. To do that, we need rigorously validated pre-clinical models that we can study, which will in turn help us better pinpoint the origins of early-stage disease. We’re incredibly grateful to both the MJFF and the NIH for their support as we pursue both of these lines of research.”