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P. Hemachandra Reddy, Ph.D., a professor in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine who has researched healthy aging, dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases for more than 20 years, recently was named to the 2023 class of Fellows for the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The NAI is a member organization comprised of U.S. and international universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutes with more than 4,600 individual inventor members and fellows spanning more than 300 institutions worldwide. Its 2023 Fellowship class includes 162 academic inventors from 35 U.S. states and 10 countries. Reddy has received three patents for his lab discoveries that promote healthy aging and identify mechanisms to detect and slow the progression of human Alzheimer’s disease. He has several other patents pending. “I am honored and humbled to join the class of 2023 National Academy Inventors Fellowship; indeed, this honor means a lot to my lab members and me for the recognition of our research efforts,” Reddy said. “Personally, it is a dream come true to be an NAI Fellow. TTUHSC and Texas Tech University are great places to make impactful changes to our communities with new discoveries and inventions in healthy aging and dementia research. I sincerely thank all the lab members, particularly Chandra Kuruva, Ph.D., Subodh Kumar, Ph.D., and Murali Vijayan, Ph.D., for their efforts and contributions to the three patents.” Academic inventors and innovators are nominated to the rank of NAI Fellow status by their peers for making outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society and support and enhancement of innovation. Nominees also must be a named inventor on patent(s) issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and affiliated with a university, non-profit research institute or other academic entity to qualify. “Dr. Reddy is the second faculty member in the history of our university to receive the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors,” Lance R. McMahon, Ph.D., TTUHSC senior vice president for research and innovation, said. “NAI Fellows demonstrate a prolific spirit of innovation resulting in tangible impacts on society.” Reddy’s experience and contributions have impacted several TTUHSC schools and departments. In addition to his role in the Department of Internal Medicine, he also serves as a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience at the School of Medicine, TTUHSC’s Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health, the TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in the TTUHSC School of Health Professions. Reddy has published more than 260 peer-reviewed articles related to Alzheimer’s disease and mitochondria research. According to the Google Scholar website, his articles have been cited more than 29,200 times with an h-index of 89 and an i10-Index of 195. The h-index is used to measure a researcher’s scientific productivity and the impact of their research upon science. The i10 index is the number of publications a researcher has produced that have received at least 10 citations. Reddy was elected a Fellow of the American Neurological Association in 2014 and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2020. Though the accolades and recognition are gratifying, Reddy believes groups like the NAI are valuable because of the relationships and opportunities that come from meeting and learning from other scientists. “It is amazing to watch and be a part of how biological and human science is moving forward,” Reddy said. “I sincerely thank all my current and former lab members for their dedicated efforts, and I appreciate my collaborators and peers who supported me all through my research career. Most of all I thank my parents and family members for their support and for understanding my passion for Alzheimer’s science.”

a) From left to right: Saggital, coronal, and axial planes of MRI images of an 87 Y/O person with Dementia, showing decreased matter volume and signs of white matter disease. b) from left to right: Saggital, coronal and axial planes of MRI images of an 80 Y/O female cognitively healthy person, with a MoCA score of 27/30, showing age-related cerebral volume loss. 

The latest findings in healthy aging and dementia research will be on display when the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) hosts the Second Healthy Aging and Dementia Research Symposium Oct. 25-27 at the TTUHSC Academic Classroom Building 100, 3601 Fourth St. This symposium, organized by the TTUHSC School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine with contributions from all other TTUHSC schools, institutes and centers, will feature all researchers, students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, caregivers and health disparity researchers involved in studying healthy aging and dementia. Topics to be discussed during the three-day symposium include health disparities and caregiver needs in aging populations living with Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic conditions, public health trends related to the neurodegenerative diseases of aging, and community-based programs and current research into health, nutrition and cognition. Keynote speakers for the symposium will include Marcia Ory, MPH, Ph.D., a Regents and Distinguished Professor from Texas A&M University; Russell Swerdlow, M.D., the Gene and Marge Sweeney Professor and director for the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the Neurodegenerative Disorders Program at the University of Kansas Medical Center; and Sanoj K. Suneja, Ph.D., deputy director for the Division of Extramural Activities and a referral liaison and health scientist administrator for the National Institute on Aging-National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The opening day of the symposium will cover mental health, health disparities and caregivers’ needs in aging populations with dementia and other comorbidities. The second day will include discussions and presentations related to the clinical and non-clinical research aspects of human studies – COVID-19, nutrition, addiction, psychiatry, drug discovery and pharmacology, public health and lab research using mouse and cell models of aging, dementia, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The final day will include discussions related to funding opportunities from the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Heart Association, the Alzheimer's Association, the American Federation for Aging Research and the Bright Focus Foundation. There also will be discussions regarding small business opportunities such as the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs and capital venture and intellectual property aspects. P. Hemachandra Reddy, Ph.D., vice chair for the Department of Internal Medicine’s basic and translational research, said every session will include a panel discussion from research experts, community stakeholders, students, staff and faculty. Each day also will feature plenary speakers and both oral and poster presentations. Reddy believes the symposium also will be beneficial to those who practice in the addiction, psychiatry and drug discovery/pharmacology fields, as they should find myriad information to augment their own work. “Attendees will learn about the current status of healthy aging, research on dementia and other morbidities,” Reddy emphasized. “They will also benefit from the interactions and discussions with experts from funding agencies and all other attendees.”

Cancer, in all of its forms, is a public health concern responsible for more than 8 million deaths each year in the United States. In addition to its effect on patients and the health care system in general, cancer also places a burden on non-professional caregivers such as family members and friends. This can be especially true for the Hispanic population, where communication barriers, financial difficulties and sociocultural issues can be significant. In a recently published review article, Jasbir Bisht, a cytogenetic technologist for the Department of Pediatrics-Genetics Unit at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine, and a team from P. Hemachandra Reddy’s internal medicine laboratory at TTUHSC analyzed the impact of cancer in Hispanics in comparison to other ethnic groups. Their study focused on the status and needs of those who serve as caregivers, particularly informal caregivers such as family members or friends.  The article, “Caregivers with Cancer Patients: Focus on Hispanics,” was published in January by Cancers, an open access journal of oncology. The research team, which was led by Reddy, also included TTUHSC research aide Priyanka Rawat and Ujala Sehar, Ph.D., a post-doctoral researcher for the Reddy Laboratory. The Hispanic community is generally considered to be the second largest in the U.S., though 2022 estimates say Hispanic or Latino residents have likely surpassed non-Hispanic whites as the predominant population. Because the Hispanic population continues to expand, Bisht said the study used the total number of cancer patients gleaned from the 2020 census data and estimated the number of new cancer patients through 2022. “We estimated 126,000 new cases are being diagnosed yearly in Hispanics,” Bisht said. “A more significant number of patients means more caregiving burden is placed upon the immediate family members and friends.” When compared to other major racial and ethnic groups, the Hispanic population has the highest prevalence of some important and potentially modifiable cancer risk factors, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. Hispanics also are more frequently diagnosed with advanced stages of cancer and have a lower quality of life after receiving a cancer diagnosis than non-Hispanic whites. Multiple factors can significantly affect the prognosis of cancer in Hispanics. However, oncology researchers have typically focused on the behavioral and psychosocial aspects of non-Hispanic whites, while any understanding of the complex array of prognostic variables in Hispanics is limited. For this reason, the authors of the article sought to provide insight about the obstacles facing Hispanic cancer patients and their caregivers. These issues include: • Socioeconomic status, which affects cancer risk factors such as physical inactivity, tobacco usage, lack of adequate nourishment and obesity. Other socioeconomic factors include a lack of health insurance, low incomes and elevated poverty rates, which have been linked to late-stage cancer diagnosis and lower cancer survival rates. • Cultural differences, which can impact a Hispanic patient’s physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being. Family and religious faith also play a significant role in Hispanic culture. • Linguistic barriers, which often result in Hispanics (and other ethnic and minority groups) receiving lower-quality health care services, makes them less likely to undergo routine medical procedures and leads to higher rates of morbidity and mortality. It also creates a general mistrust of physicians and other health care providers. • Comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (the rates of which are two to five times higher than non-Hispanic whites), obesity and hypertension. Obesity and being overweight are directly related to an increased risk of colon, rectum and breast cancer. Visceral obesity, where the fat encases organs deep inside the belly, also is believed to be associated with colorectal cancer and potentially increases the risk of pancreatic, endometrial and postmenopausal breast cancer. Reddy said his laboratory focuses on caregiving for cancer patients in Hispanic communities to create an understanding of the burden faced by caregivers. This is especially important now because many cancer treatments take place in an outpatient setting rather than a hospital, which has significantly increased the burden on immediate family members and friends in caring for cancer patients. “This review can help Hispanic community caregivers in many ways, especially in coping with their situation while caring for cancer patients,” Reddy said. “We have given many suggestions, such as self-care as a way for caregivers to handle anxiety, depression and stress, and how to maintain or upgrade to a healthier lifestyle.” Currently, members of the Reddy Laboratory are actively investigating issues faced by caregivers of patients with dementia, diabetes, obesity, hypertension and other comorbidities. Bisht said he appreciates the support and encouragement he has received from the Reddy Laboratory and from TTUHSC leadership in conducting these reviews because they can help improve health care in our communities. “Hopefully our article and on-going work can be used by health care professionals, physicians and policy makers in state and federal agencies,” Bisht added. “We hope to address some of these issues and improve the situations for all patients and their caregivers.”

 A United States patent was recently awarded to P. Hemachandra Reddy, Ph.D., and Subodh Kumar, Ph.D., from the Department of Internal Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. The patent, “MicroRNA-455-3p as a Peripheral Biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease,” focuses on the development of a novel blood-based biomarker for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. The present invention includes a novel method for identifying an Alzheimer's disease patient prior to reaching the clinical disease classification and is based on increased levels of microRNA-455-3p in a blood, serum or plasma sample obtained from cognitively impaired Alzheimer’s disease patient relative to a cognitively healthy control subject with no clinical evidence of Alzheimer’s disease. As people age, the gradual loss of cognitive function often signals the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or similar types of dementia. These conditions cause the person to lose some of their intellectual functions such as the ability to contemplate ideas, retain memories and apply reasoning skills. The prevalence of these age-related and chronic conditions increases each year, and recent studies have shown they disproportionately affect the elderly populations in rural West Texas. Research also suggests that minority communities in rural West Texas often face the greatest incidence of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia due to being underserved and poor access to appropriate health care services. The patented biomarker technology is based on a small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecule, called microRNA (miRNA), that helps cells control the kinds and amounts of proteins they make. MicroRNA-455-3p, also known as miR-455-3p, is a member of a broadly maintained miRNA family present on human chromosome 9. Reddy said the role of miR-455 has been implicated in various normal physiological processes and diseases such as cartilage development, adipogenesis and preeclampsia. “It is also implicated in various cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cancer, oral squamous cancer, skin cancer and non-small cell lung cancer,” Reddy added. The Reddy laboratory discovered the miR-455-3p biomarker and its therapeutic relevance by conducting a global microarray analysis of serum samples from three groups: Alzheimer’s disease patients; individuals with mild cognitive decline; and healthy patients with no known signs of the disease. “Our findings unveiled significantly higher levels of miR-455-3p in the Alzheimer’s disease patients relative to the individuals with mild cognitive dysfunctions and the healthy control patients,” Reddy explained. “Further, validation analysis using different kinds of Alzheimer’s disease samples such as serum, postmortem brains, fibroblasts, B-lymphocytes, Alzheimer’s disease cell lines, Alzheimer’s disease mouse models and cerebrospinal fluid cells from Alzheimer’s disease patients confirmed the biomarker potential of miR-455-3p.” Reddy’s group believes miR-455-3p may serve as a key biomarker because it is part of the mechanism leading to Alzheimer’s disease, namely it modulates amyloid beta (amyloid-β) protein precursor and amyloid-β levels. Amyloid-β is comprised of peptides of 36–43 amino acids, which are considered the primary component of the amyloid plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. To confirm that amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) is a target of miR-455-3p, Reddy and colleagues used a luciferase reporter assay, which is a test used to determine whether or not a protein has the ability to activate or repress the expression of a targeted gene. Further, mouse neuroblastoma were used to establish a protective role of miR-455-3p against amyloid-β-induced toxicities. The findings obtained by Reddy and colleagues suggested that miR-455-3p enhances cell survival and extends lifespan, and further suggested that elevated levels of miR-455-3p reduce Aβ toxicity, enhance mitochondrial biogenesis and synaptic activity, and maintain healthy mitochondrial dynamics. The next translational step was to understand the function of microRNA-455-3p in whole animals. To accomplish this, the Reddy lab generated both transgenic (TG) and knockout (KO) mouse models of miR-455-3p. They found that mice with overexpressed microRNA-455-3p lived five months longer than wild-type counterparts, whereas depleted microRNA mice lived four months shorter than wild-type mice. A Morris water maze test, which tests a rodent’s special learning, showed improved cognitive behavior, spatial learning and memory in overexpressed miR-455-3p mice relative to age-matched wild-type mice. “Overall, the overexpressed miR-455-3p in mice displayed protective effects, whereas depleted miR-455-3p exhibited deleterious effects in mice relative to lifespan, cognitive behavior and mitochondrial and synaptic activities,” Reddy said. “Based on these evidences, we cautiously conclude that miR-455-3p is a promising peripheral biomarker and therapeutic candidate for Alzheimer’s disease.”

P. Hemachandra Reddy, Ph.D., and his wife, Arubala P Reddy, Ph.D., have been long-time supporters of the continual advancement of both research and educational pursuits within Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC). Between P. Hemachandra Reddy’s work as a professor and vice chair of Internal Medicine, Adjunct professor of Neuroscience/Pharmacology, Neurology and Public Health at TTUHSC and adjunct professor for Nutritional Sciences at TTU, and Arubala P Reddy’s work as an assistant professor for Nutritional Sciences at TTU, The Reddy family has been an integral part of the fabric that makes up the West Texas community. Now, the two have created the Reddy Family Foundation, formally established to support and promote research and educational activities for graduate students and postdoctoral scientists. The family has provided TTUHSC with two extraordinary gifts, both of which can help transform the future of health care. “My family strongly believes that education and research are primary factors for the development and welfare of our communities,” said Reddy. “Therefore, we decided to donate to TTUHSC. We have been supporting GSBS’s best students for the last few years, and now we have requested that TTUHSC establish our family foundation.” The Reddy Family Foundation has provided two gifts–one as a scholarship within GSBS, and one for postdoctoral research stipends. The scholarship provides a $500 award for an outstanding student each year (for ten years), while the postdoctoral research stipend provides a postdoctoral scientist with a $2000 fellowship each year (for five years). “Our goal is to inspire students and fellows involved in biomedical research and education at TTUHSC,” Reddy said. “We would like to promote the message of giving back to TTUHSC from faculty and staff, to promote academic activities at our institution.” The Reddy family also strives to generate awareness about healthy aging, as well as reproductive and brain health. By supporting research and education, they provide a chance to increase that awareness. For the Reddy family, giving back is about encouraging the innovation and creativity surrounding scientific research, regardless of economic status. “My wife and I came from a rural, modest background in India. We strongly believe that cutting-edge research, with innovation and creativity, is important in our health care system,” said Reddy. “The concept of giving back to the community is possible at every economic level.”

Subodh Kumar, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research associate for the Reddy Lab in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Department of Internal Medicine, was selected in September 2020 to receive a five-year K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health-National Institute on Aging. The purpose of the award is to increase and maintain a strong cohort of new, talented and independent researchers supported by the NIH. As part of the NIH Research Training and Career Development Program, the Pathway to Independence Award is designed to facilitate a timely transition of outstanding postdoctoral researchers from mentored research positions to independent tenure-track faculty positions. With the award, the NIH will support Kumar for two years in the K99 mentor phase and then for three years in the R00 independent phase during which he will be expected to successfully compete for independent R01 support. “This timeline will allow to generate preliminary data for a long-term R01 proposal,” Kumar said. “This award also will help me to continue my K99 training under my postdoctoral and primary mentor, Dr. P. Hemachandra Reddy, and to conduct my own independent research project to establish myself as an independent investigator.” Kumar will use the award to investigate and increase the understanding of how synapses and synaptosomal microRNAs function in relation to the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. As the most important compartments of neurons, synapses deliver signals from one neuron to another and maintain healthy synaptic and cognitive functions of the brain. MicroRNAs, known as miRNAs, are a specific type of non-coding RNAs that are important in regulating gene expression. “My research project is designed to determine the status of synapse and synapse microRNAs in Alzheimer’s and their relationship with pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, such as amyloid-β and p-tau,” Kumar explained. “The outcome of my study is expected to provide new insights about synaptosome-specific microRNAs and their therapeutic relevance in synaptic dysfunction in aging and Alzheimer’s disease.” Kumar said the Pathway to Independence is the most prestigious and competitive award for postdoctoral candidates who want to build a career in research and academia. It is the first K99/R00 award received by a TTUHSC postdoctoral candidate, and Kumar said he could not have been successful in pursuing the award without the help of Reddy and co-mentors Chhanda Bose, Ph.D., from TTUHSC, Russell Swerdlow, M.D., (University of Kansas Medical Center) and Debomoy K. Lahiri, Ph.D., (Indiana University School of Medicine). “I sincerely thank all faculty members, particularly the Department of Internal Medicine chair and the Reddy Lab members,” Kumar added. “I would also like to say thanks to my family and parents for their support and blessing to achieve this prestigious award. It was my life long wish to do novel research in the field of neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s. This award will help me fulfill my dream to become an independent investigator and conduct research for the brain health of seniors and of all humankind.”

For the last twenty years, P. Hemachandra Reddy, Ph.D., a scientist at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), has researched healthy aging, dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. In recognition of those efforts, Reddy has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers and based upon the nominee’s scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. AAAS elected 489 of its members as Fellows in 2020. Reddy was elected in the Biological Sciences category for his pioneering contributions to the fields of Alzheimer's disease and mitochondrial neurobiology, particularly in discovering the key role of mitochondria in neurodegenerative diseases and their treatment. Mitochondria, considered the power generators of cells, take in and breakdown nutrients to create high-energy molecules for the cell. Reddy’s experience and contributions benefit several TTUHSC schools and departments. He is a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the TTUHSC School of Medicine, one of the university’s largest research divisions that encompasses nationally and internationally recognized and research grant-funded faculty studying additional fields, including tropical medicine/infectious disease, hematology/oncology, nephrology and cardiopulmonary disease. He also serves as a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience at the School of Medicine, the Department of Public Health at the TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in the TTUHSC School of Health Professions. He became a member of AAAS about five years ago and said becoming an AAAS Fellow is an honor both professionally and personally. “The election of Fellows is purely based on pioneering contributions to science over a lifetime, so it is a great honor to be recognized as a Fellow of AAAS,” Reddy said. Reddy’s lab has published more than 180 peer-reviewed articles related to Alzheimer’s disease and mitochondria research. According to the Google Scholar website, his articles have been cited 16,579 times with an H-Index of 66 and an i10-Index of 128. The h-index is used to measure a researcher’s scientific productivity and the impact of their research upon science. The i10 index is the number of publications a researcher has produced that have received at least 10 citations. In addition, the Reddy lab is actively investigating chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, stroke, vascular dementia and other factors that are associated with dementia. As a mentor, Reddy received good news earlier this year when his postdoctoral fellow, Subodh Kumar, Ph.D., accepted a K99/R00 Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health, the first such award in TTUHSC history. Reddy also was elected a Fellow of the American Neurological Association in 2014. Though the accolades and recognition are nice, Reddy believes groups like the ANA and AAAS are valuable because of the relationships and opportunities that come from meeting and learning from other scientists. “I have come to know a large number of fellow researchers and scientists in almost all scientific communities,” Reddy said. “It opens my eyes; how biological and human science is moving forward. I sincerely thank all my current and former lab members for their sincere efforts, and my collaborators and peers who supported me all through my research career. Last, but not least, I thank my parents and family members for their support and for understanding my passion for Alzheimer’s Science.”