Dr. Haeyoung Kim, a professor at Texas A&M Kingsville, has been awarded a grant exceeding half a million dollars from the National Institutes of Health. This funding aims to investigate how the brain self-repairs to prevent age-associated conditions such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
“Daily, our DNA undergoes significant damage. Your brain and mine are experiencing DNA damage from external influences,” commented Dr. Kim.
Dr. Kim explained that significant neuron loss can result in diminished cognitive abilities and may be linked to Alzheimer’s. His dedication to studying cognitive aging spans almost three decades, as this research holds personal significance for him.
With the recent grant, Dr. Kim aims to find answers to a disease that has impacted his family and countless others nationwide.
“My grandmother and father succumbed to stages of Alzheimer’s, providing both a personal drive and a scientific intrigue for me,” Dr. Kim shared.
The grant will also allow Dr. Kim to bring on more student researchers, such as sophomore Rigo Rosales, who is equally enthusiastic about researching age-related diseases.
“I received an email from him announcing the NIH grant and expressing his wish for me to join his team as a student researcher. It was a thrilling moment,” Rosales remarked.
With a grandfather battling dementia, the significance of this research is deeply personal to Rosales.
“We’ve managed to overcome numerous diseases as humans, but dementia and cancer remain elusive challenges. I’m hopeful our research will one day contribute to a cure,” he expressed.