$3.1 million NIA grant to advance Sanders-Brown researcher’s groundbreaking dementia study
April 4, 2024 - UKNOW | University of Kentucky News
Maj-Linda Selenica, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and associate director of outreach and partnerships at UK’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has been working on research surrounding misfolding of the protein TDP-43 for several years now. Thanks to a recent $3.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the groundbreaking work will continue.
NIH awards $10.6 million for central nervous system metabolism research center at UK
September 5, 2023 - UKNOW | University of Kentucky News
The University of Kentucky has been awarded a prestigious Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant to study central nervous system metabolism from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The $10.6 million, five-year grant will fund UK’s Center of Research in Central Nervous System Metabolism (CNS-Met).
In Frontotemporal Lobar Dementia, TDP-43 Snaps into a Chevron Shape
August 17, 2023 - ALZFORUM News
Following in the footsteps of tau and α-synuclein, TDP-43, too, appears to twist into distinct amyloid arrangements in different neurodegenerative conditions. According to a paper published in Nature on August 2, filaments of TDP-43 in brain samples from people with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) type A share a protofilament core that folds into a chevron-like shape. This new amyloid fold markedly differs from the double spiral contortion previously found in people with a form of FTLD accompanied by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The authors, led by Benjamin Ryskeldi-Falcon of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, U.K., also zeroed in on a post-translational tweak—citrullination of an arginine residue—that may trigger its formation.
Maj-Linda Selenica, Ph.D., discusses her work at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging
February 24, 2022 - Sanders-Brown Center on Aging - the Mind Matters podcasts
Assistant Professor Dr. Maj-Linda Selenica is a world renown research scientist at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, and was drawn to the center because of the female leadership within the center coupled with the centers international reputation. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, and she is especially proud of her role in the development of the next generation of research scientists here at the University of Kentucky.
UK’s Sanders-Brown Researchers Discover Polyamines Prevent Collection of Alzheimer’s Disease Protein
June 7, 2021 - UKNOW - University of Kentucky News
A study by several researchers at UK's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA) was recently highlighted in AlzForum. The study led by Daniel Lee, Ph.D., associate professor, UK Department of Neuroscience, and Maj-Linda Selenica, Ph.D., assistant professor, UK Department of Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry, found that polyamines prevent the clustering of a protein known as tau, which is a hallmark in Alzheimer’s disease.
Polyamines–What Role in Neurodegeneration?
May 14, 2021 - ALZFORUM News, Part 2 of 2
Polyamines, the nitrogen-packed aliphatic molecules produced by our own cells and found in the foods we eat, have been cast by some as anti-aging dynamos. Studies suggest the compounds, most notably spermidine, counter cognitive slippage in animal models by revving up autophagy and mitochondrial function in the brain.
Better Living Through Polyamines?
May 14, 2021 - ALZFORUM News, Part 1 of 2
Could primordial soup, semen, and rotting flesh hold clues to healthy cognitive aging? If the idea sounds a little repulsive, consider this. These three types of complex organic matter are all packed with polyamines—flat strings of amine groups that have been around since life began...
Sanders-Brown Research Discovers New Pathway in TDP-43 Related Dementias
September 23, 2020
Recent work published by researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA) highlights what the lead investigator calls the “cornerstone” of her lab. Maj-Linda Selenica, assistant professor at SBCoA, led the study recently published in BBA Molecular Basis of Disease. She says their approach was unconventional as it looked at the molecular mechanisms implicated in TDP-43 biology, which is the focus of her lab.
Sanders-Brown Researcher Receives Grant Supported by Rotary Clubs to Further Dementia Studies
July 8, 2020
A grant recently received by Maj-Linda B. Selenica, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA), is helping further collaborative research efforts. The $125,000 grant comes from The CART Fund. CART (Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust) is a grassroots effort by Rotary Club members throughout the country to provide cutting edge research to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Since its inception, CART has awarded more than $9 million in research grants to some of the most respected institutions in the country.
Featured Profile – Short-circuiting in the brain
Fall/Winter 2015
"Don’t bother asking Maj-Linda Selenica, PhD, if she can picture herself in any other career. The 41-year-old world-traveled research scientist is passionate about shedding new light on what causes memory loss and finding new approaches to treating Alzheimer’s disease.” (p.3-5)
