Douglas F. Covey, Ph.D. (Director)

DEPARTMENT OF Developmental Biology
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, chemical synthesis, drug design, drug development

The overall goal of this program of research is to develop novel approaches for the prevention, treatment and modeling of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The approach of our drug discovery group, led by Dr. James W. Simpkins of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, has been and will continue to be two fold. First, we believe that the effective treatment of AD may require small molecules that easily access the brain and can be administered for years to decades. As such, we have three research projects that access small molecules, for which we have evidence of neuroprotection, effects on neuropathologies of AD, effects on cognitive decline, and that readily penetrate the brain. Further, these compounds are expected to have little or no toxicity for reasons developed in the individual projects. The chemical synthesis component of this program is centered at Washington University.