From seeds to success

The following stories are only a sample of the progress Brain Research Foundation has enabled in the field of neuroscience. Every day, we’re helping researchers work toward important scientific discoveries that broaden the scope of our understanding.

Working toward overcoming nicotine addiction

With his Brain Research Foundation seed grant, Dr. Paul Vezina, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago, conducted research to identify the brain regions containing nAChRs (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors) that are necessary for the induction of locomotor and dopaminergic sensitization by nicotine. With this information, compounds and therapeutic approaches can be developed that prevent the kinds of neuroadaptations that result from exposure to drugs like nicotine, ultimately helping people overcome addiction.

Based on the results of this work, Dr. Vezina was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health. This grant will fund the continued study of the effects of exposure to nicotine on nAChRs, neuronal excitability, and associated behavior patterns. In fact, Dr. Vezina and his colleagues have already characterized the effects of nicotine exposure on the regulation of nAChRs in areas of the brain.

Enlisting the immune system in the fight against cancer

Dr. Maciej Lesniak, Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago, has used his Brain Research Foundation seed grant to help find a way to make the body’s immune system a powerful ally in the fight against cancer.

The immune system is a highly complex group of defense responses that protect against infection and disease by identifying and eradicating pathogens and tumor cells. Dr. Lesniak’s research focused on a specific component of the immune system: Treg cells, which suppress the immune response once it has successfully eliminated a pathogen. He discovered that Treg cells are abundant in intracranial cancer tissues, enabling the rapid growth of brain tumors. However, he discovered that using another part of the immune system—anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies—to interfere with the action of Treg cells actually causes an immune response that destroys the tumor cells. Using this method, Dr. Lesniak was able to increase the survival rate of mice with intracranial tumors.

The ultimate goal of Dr. Lesniak’s research is to design therapies to increase the survival rate of patients with brain cancer. This novel treatment strategy will specifically target tumor cells and spare normal cells, which would be a major advancement in the treatment of the disease.