UAMS Researchers Discover Cholesterol Drug’s Potential as Treatment for Alzheimer’s, Other Dementia

By Chris Carmody

Researchers from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have discovered that an FDA-approved cholesterol drug holds the potential to disrupt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

The research team published its findings in the journal Aging Biology. Akshatha Ganne, a postdoctoral fellow in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Geriatrics, is the lead author. Srinivas Ayyadevara, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Medicine, and Robert J. Shmookler Reis, Ph.D., professor in the College of Medicine, are the corresponding/senior authors of the paper.

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002, ezetimibe is a prescription medication that reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the intestines.

UAMS Researchers Discover Cholesterol Drug’s Potential as Treatment for Alzheimer’s, Other Dementia

Researchers Meenakshisundaram Balasubramaniam (from left), Ph.D.; Srikanth Vallurupalli, M.D.; Robert J. Shmookler Reis, Ph.D.; Srinivas Ayyadevara, Ph.D.; and Akshatha Ganne are shown in their research laboratory at the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. Ganne was the lead author of the study published in the journal Aging Biology.