Florida State University’s College of Communication and Information, through its School of Communication Science and Disorders, will launch the FSU Health Mobile Speech and Hearing Clinic later this summer, expanding healthcare services that the university has provided to Floridians since the 1950s.

The mobile clinic will bring screenings, evaluations and therapy to underserved communities throughout North Florida and the Panhandle, while also providing hands-on clinical training for FSU students.

Led by Director Becky Greenhill, a speech-language pathologist and clinical instructor, the fully accessible clinic builds on the longstanding work of FSU’s Speech and Hearing Clinic, which serves children and adults with communication disorders, cognitive challenges and hearing conditions.

Greenhill discussed the growing need for speech and hearing services, the role the mobile clinic will play in rural communities and how the effort reflects Florida State’s broader healthcare mission through FSU Health.

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A team of researchers from Florida State University and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory is looking to nature to find microbes that can be used to create new antibiotics to treat the growing threat of drug-resistant bacteria.

Infection from so-called “super bugs” is a leading cause of death globally. Drug resistant bacteria contribute to nearly five million deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization. As more pathogens develop resistance, that number is expected to jump nearly 70% in the next 25 years.

The team of FSU and MagLab researchers will screen soil microbes from around the world to hunt for sources of new antibacterial drugs. The Novo Nordisk Foundation is funding the project as part of an international drug discovery initiative.

“People have been searching for new antibiotics for many years, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to discover novel compounds. Our goal is to revolutionize the drug discovery pipeline,” said Xiangpeng Li, an assistant professor in the FSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “If we don’t do anything, antibiotic resistance will be a huge problem for the human race.”

Buried treasure: Potential medical marvels in the soil

Molecules made by microbes have long been used to treat bacterial infections. The first antibiotic, penicillin, was developed from mold nearly 100 years ago. Common antibiotics like streptomycin are produced by bacteria.

The researchers will test soil samples supplied by Rob Spencer, a biogeochemist and professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science. He studies the carbon cycle, and particularly the rapidly changing environments of the Arctic and tropics.

“It’s common to think about soils as just dirt, but they are essential for our nutrient, carbon and water cycles, and microbes in soils hold huge potential for discovery of new drugs,” Spencer said.

His samples from extreme environments like the polar regions hold particular promise because they have not been extensively examined.

“Those samples might contain very novel microbes,” Li said. “They have been frozen for maybe tens to hundreds of thousands of years. We are more likely to find new things.”

How it works

To find sources for potential new antibacterial drugs, the team has the ambitious goal of screening a billion microbes.

Li specializes in droplet microfluidics, manipulating tiny drops of fluid about the width of a human hair through troughs etched on a silicone disc to rapidly conduct chemical screening. His microfluidics system will quickly process tens of thousands of droplets at a time.

“Typically, when we search for new compounds from nature, it’s a rather arduous process working with individually isolated microbes, but with the speed of microfluidics and the analytical power of the Ion Cyclotron Resonance Facility, we can sample all of the microbes from a variety of environments all at once. It’s a very exciting collaboration,” said Edward Kalkreuter, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Inside the droplets, soil microbial cells will be combined with a common antibiotic-resistant bacterium called Klebsiella pneumoniae and a fluorescent color-coded tag to allow for rapid sorting.

Then the MagLab’s Ion Cyclotron Resonance Facility, or ICR, will identify bioactive molecules from the soil microbes.

“You might have a soil sample and it kills the Klebsiella, but you don’t know what those molecules are. So that’s where we come in,” said ICR Director Kicki Håkansson.

The lab’s powerful ICR mass spectrometers will analyze the droplets that show antimicrobial activity to determine which molecules are responsible for the antibacterial properties. The precision analysis will also be crucial for making sure the discovery is indeed new.

“We’re looking for signals that have not been discovered before. We don’t want to rediscover penicillin,” Li said. “To do that, we annotate the molecular composition of each signal and compare it against databases of known compounds.”

Taking on that data analysis challenge will be the team’s fifth member, Ryan Rodgers, a researcher at the ICR.

International collaboration

The researchers will also share data and ideas with 21 other research groups around the world as part of an international drug discovery consortium with additional funding provided by the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. This coordinated investment and collaborative effort will accelerate the search for new medications that are crucial to addressing this growing crisis.

“This new approach allows us to look very thoroughly at compounds that haven’t been looked at,” Håkansson said. “And if we find something, this could be transformative, which is what’s really exciting.”

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Bracketed by the musical works of Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” the 121-member Florida State University College of Medicine Class of 2026 marched into Ruby Diamond Concert Hall Saturday as students and marched out as doctors.

Joining them in the recessional line were seven newly minted Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences – Bridge to Clinical Medicine graduates, who in 10 days will begin their own march to becoming doctors as members of the M.D. Class of 2030.

Dr. Anthony Speights, senior associate dean for medical education and academic affairs, broke from the ceremonial as he donned a wireless microphone and delivered the commencement address facing the class.

“On to the life lesson of the day.  Your last, and hopefully best, lesson from me,” Speights said, his back to the audience and eyes locked on the students before him on stage.

Speights’ address ranged widely from playful to poignant; focused on his observations of how students had changed since he and his Generation X peers “believe we were just built different” than the students he addressed.

For illustration he referred to his generation as latchkey kids, the MTV generation that never used seatbelts and the first generation with cell phones; as residents who worked 100-hour weeks without time restrictions, slept in the hospital call room and, in many instances became physicians who were absent from home, grumpy, placed patients and career before everything, and burned out.

“Now that I’ve spent so much time over the years telling you how different your generation is than mine as if it’s a bad thing, let me tell you why your generation is different than mine, in all the ways I admire.

“You’ve learned to support each other in ways our generation never did.  You’ve come to understand the need for balance in work and life.

“You’ve heard me say many times, often in what sounded like a critical way, that your generation doesn’t want to work as hard as the ones before you. But in all honesty, after all these years I can let you in on a little secret. That wasn’t criticism. It was jealousy.”

Speights praised the class — and its generation — for how it has found ways to be efficient and work hard, but find time to “smell the roses, watch some Netflix and hang out.” How it had taught his generation of physicians the importance of mental self-care.

And he reminded the class of a message delivered to them by the late Dr. Daniel Van Derme on their first day as medical students.

”Dan said something like this: Each of us is filled with a reservoir of compassion and caring.  It’s like a river, flowing from you to your patients.  Guard against becoming jaded, because it will dam that river up, but also keep in mind that if your reservoir is constantly flowing, it has to be refilled or it will run dry.

“Find and do things that refill that reservoir of compassion and caring. Caring is integral. Patients don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

There is no shortage of physicians from the class who heeded that advice; many of whom were honored on the eve of commencement at the Class of 2026 Presentation of Awards ceremony.

Ben Linkus, who completed his final two years at the Pensacola Regional Campus near his hometown of Gulf Breeze, received the Mission Award. Linkus is headed to Newark, Delaware, for a general surgery residency; a departure from the family medicine route he initially envisioned for himself. His third-year rotation through the Marinna Rural Program at the 100-bed Jackson Hospital, changed his trajectory, thanks to the influence of doctors Vechai Arunakul and John Brunner.

“I fell in love with rural healthcare and what the general surgeon can do in those types of communities,” Linkus said. “[Arunakal and Brunner] were huge role models for me, being able to see how they impacted the community. Eventually, the plan is to come back to the Panhandle and be the rural general surgeon in a community along I-10.

Befitting of her strong faith, Katelyn Cornelius was selected to deliver the invocation Saturday.

“My faith has always been a big part of my life,” said Cornelius, who completed her clinical education at the Orlando Regional Campus, near her hometown of Winter Park. “Before I stated medical school, I got to work at a clinic for patients without insurance that’s faith-based in Orlando. I really saw how these people’s desire to serve was so driven by their faith. And I worked with a pediatrician who used to talk about how, you know, we’re called to be loving in anything that we do.

Cornelius carried that mindset throughout her time at the College of Medicine and others noticed. At Friday nights’ awards ceremony, the Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Society inductee was recognized as the Orlando Regional Campus Dean’s Award winner and one of eight American Medical Women’s Association’s Glasgow-Rubin Citation recipients for ranking in the top 10% of her class and demonstrating leadership, service and advocacy.

Dr. Alma Littles, dean of the College of Medicine, presented Cornelius the J. Ocie Harris Outstanding Student Award, which recognizes the student who has shown the best all-around promise of becoming a physician of the highest caliber.

“People ask me, ‘Why are you like this? Why are you so nice and kind and focused? Why do you know this information?” she explained. “For me, it is loving and caring, and that feels like my mission and my ministry to others; to learn this information well, to care for people well, to help them feel seen and heard and loved at the end of the day.”

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Routine high-tide flooding in coastal communities could lead to thousands of deaths among older adults by the end of the century, according to a new study co-authored by Florida State University researcher Mathew Hauer.

Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the study projects that without significant adaptation, premature deaths among adults aged 65 and older linked to high-tide flooding could increase 43-fold by 2100.

Unlike storm surges from major hurricanes, high-tide flooding happens regularly and is often viewed as a nuisance rather than a danger. But researchers found even shallow flooding on roads can delay emergency medical care for older adults during time-sensitive emergencies such as cardiac arrest.

“When we think about climate change threatening people’s lives, we picture hurricanes and heat waves,” Hauer said. “What we found is that the routine, ankle-deep flooding people have learned to live with is on track to kill more older adults than storm surge does in these same coastal areas. It’s a quiet, cumulative form of climate mortality, and until now nobody had put a national number on it.”

The research team, which included Hauer from the FSU College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s Department of Sociology and Center for Demography and Population Health, found that flooding creates significant traffic disruptions that obstruct emergency medical access. This is particularly dangerous for time-sensitive conditions where every minute of delay significantly reduces survival rates.

Researchers identified three major findings:

• A growing crisis: By 2100, the model projects nearly 10,000 additional deaths annually among older adults in coastal U.S. regions.
• Economic impact: The monetized damages associated with these premature deaths could reach $1.1 trillion by the end of the century.
• The 8-minute threshold: Seniors living in areas with more than an 8.85-minute drive to the nearest hospital are especially vulnerable to these flood-induced delays.

The findings are a wake-up call for the Sunshine State, which stands at the epicenter of the issue.

The study identified Florida as the nation’s most vulnerable state because of its large older population and extensive low-lying coastline.

“Simple things like raising roadways, better sited-hospitals, and other changes could make a significant impact on reducing this anticipated mortality. An ounce of prevention today is worth a pound of cure tomorrow.”

– Mathew Hauer, FSU associate professor and study co-author

By 2060, Florida could account for 24% to 38% of all high-tide flooding deaths in the coastal contiguous U.S., with an estimated 360 to 1,590 annual fatalities.

“Florida has twin threats of an older population and a large, low-lying coastal zone,” Hauer said. “So, the demography, the geography and climate change all combine to account for a large percentage of these anticipated deaths.”

Researchers said the projected death toll could be significantly reduced through infrastructure improvements and planning. Implementing protective measures, such as elevating roads or building new healthcare facilities in accessible locations, could reduce premature deaths by 57%.

The researchers recommend three critical steps for coastal communities:

• Protect road networks that are essential for emergency medical access.
• Increase accessibility by building more critical care facilities in at-risk coastal areas.
• Manage the retreat of vulnerable populations to areas with better infrastructure and healthcare access.

The study concluded that the economic costs associated with these deaths exceed many other climate-related impacts, making healthcare infrastructure a priority for policymakers.

“The deaths show up when an ambulance can’t get through and the adaptive infrastructure to prevent these are things we already know how to do,” Hauer said. “Simple things like raising roadways, better sited-hospitals, and other changes could make a significant impact on reducing this anticipated mortality. An ounce of prevention today is worth a pound of cure tomorrow.”

The study was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and included collaborators from Arizona State University, Industrial Economics and the International Food Policy Research Institute.

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Florida State University students from the College of Communication and Information helped restore hearing for hundreds of patients during a service-learning trip to Guatemala last semester. 

Selena Snowden, teaching faculty III and director of Audiology Services in the School of Communication Science and Disorders, led a group to Sololá, Guatemala, where students performed more than 100 ear cleanings, fitted 276 hearing devices and saw more than 200 patients for appointments during four days of clinics. 

Known as the “Help Guatemala Hear” service trip, Snowden has led groups of students and professionals on similar service trips since 2015, pausing only during the pandemic. The program aims to provide the “gift of sound” to children, adults and indigenous people in the region.  

“I love to witness how the students grow each year clinically, personally, and in humility over the course of experience,” Snowden said.  

A record number of students participated in the trip: 14 undergraduate students and three graduate students from FSU, along with one undergraduate student studying communication sciences and disorders at Valdosta State University.  

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The Florida State University College of Nursing has launched its first micro-credential series that integrates artificial intelligence and nursing care.

The program, Nursing Essentials of Responsible AI, was developed in partnership with the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) and provides nurses with a comprehensive framework for the ethical and effective use of artificial intelligence in clinical practice. As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes healthcare delivery, there is an urgent need to prepare the nursing workforce to engage with these technologies safely and effectively.

“As AI continues to transform the healthcare landscape, we are taking a proactive role in ensuring that the nursing workforce is prepared to lead this digital evolution,” said Jing Wang, dean of the FSU College of Nursing. “Nurses are at the heart of patient care, and as AI becomes an integral part of the healthcare team, they must have the tools to ensure its use is safe, ethical and human-centered. This micro-credential program further secures our commitment to advancing nursing innovation and creating top-tier nurses who are prepared for the future.”

The series includes seven micro-credentials that cover key elements of AI, from foundational principles and data privacy to practical applications of AI tools across various nursing workflows. Designed for flexibility, the courses are self-paced and tailored to meet the needs of working healthcare professionals.

The program was developed in strategic collaboration with CHAI, a leading nonprofit coalition dedicated to establishing consensus-driven best practices for health AI. This first-of-its-kind partnership reflects the academic institution’s leadership in program design, leveraging CHAI’s expertise to inform the development of AI-focused education specifically for nurses.

“CHAI’s mission is to advance the responsible use of health AI through consensus-driven guidelines,” said Dr. Brian Anderson, CEO of CHAI. “Partnering with the FSU College of Nursing is a natural extension of that work. By equipping nurses, the frontline of care delivery, with the skills to evaluate and use AI responsibly, we help ensure technology serves patients first. We are proud to support FSU in setting a new standard for nursing education.”

The Nursing Essentials of Responsible AI series is part of the FSU College of Nursing’s broader commitment to advancing innovation in nursing. In 2024, the college launched the nation’s first MSN in AI Applications in Healthcare and the Nursing and Artificial Intelligence Innovation Consortium.

To learn more about the micro-credential program or to begin taking courses, visit nursing.fsu.edu/responsibleai.

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ABOUT CHAI

CHAI was started by clinicians. The coalition’s mission is to build the broadest possible consensus across the health ecosystem to help ensure health AI is trusted, secure and safe. The CHAI membership is open and rapidly expanding. Today, we consist of more than 3,000 members, including health systems, patient advocacy groups, academia, and a wide range of industry start-ups and incumbents. CHAI is committed to convening and dialogue to achieve consensus. There are no limits to who can join and participate. Learn more about a CHAI membership on their website.

ABOUT THE FSU COLLEGE OF NURSING

The Florida State University College of Nursing is Boldly Rising in education, research and practice, pioneering digital health and artificial intelligence in new care models, increasing enrollment to address the critical nursing shortage and attracting more than $100 million in new federal funding for innovative healthcare research.

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Florida State University and the City of Tallahassee on Friday completed the legal transfer of city-owned hospital assets, marking a historic milestone for FSU Health, the university’s academic health system.  

The action allows Florida State and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to continue their work toward establishing an academic health center in Florida’s capital city. 

The transfer follows approvals by the Tallahassee City Commission on March 11, the Florida State University Board of Trustees and the Florida Board of Governors. 

“This milestone reflects years of partnership and a shared vision for the future of health care in our region,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “This is a major step forward for FSU Health and for expanding clinical care, research and medical education in North Florida.” 

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey added: “Tallahassee is known across the nation for its high quality of life, and with the future of FSU Health now solidified, our community is poised to play a leading role in advancing medicine while elevating the care available to our residents and the broader region. We have successfully strengthened the heartbeat of our city by uniting research, education and patient care.” 

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare will continue its long‑standing role of operating the hospital and remains responsible for patient care, employees and daily operations.  

This partnership will expand medical education, strengthen clinical care, and grow research in Tallahassee and across North Florida. Together, the organizations are building an integrated academic health system designed to better serve patients while advancing discovery and training the next generation of health care professionals. 

“This is an exciting day for TMH, FSU and our community. This brings us one step closer to our vision of an academic health model — one that will strengthen our ability to recruit physicians, expand specialty services, and continue delivering exceptional care close to home,” said Mark O’Bryant, CEO of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. 

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare becomes the clinical anchor of FSU Health and builds on years of collaboration between the two institutions, including construction of the FSU Health Research Center on the TMH campus, which is expected to open later this year. 

Leaders have emphasized that TMH’s longstanding mission remains unchanged, including its commitment to serve all patients. Deed restrictions approved by the city require the continuation of charity care and ensure the property remains a hospital. 

“FSU Health places our community at the forefront of innovation, expanding access to high quality healthcare, creating jobs and improving lives across every corner of our community and North Florida,” City Manager Reese Goad said. I’m proud that we have charted a course toward ensuring a healthier, more resilient future for Tallahassee.” 

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The Florida State University Board of Trustees and the Florida Board of Governors on Thursday approved the transfer of City of Tallahassee-owned hospital assets to Florida State University. 

The votes follow a March 11 decision by the Tallahassee City Commission to transfer ownership of the city-owned hospital assets to the university. 

“This is the first major step in building FSU Health and taking a big step toward improving healthcare, but also building clinical, biological and biomedical research for Florida State University,” FSU President Richard McCullough said during the Board of Trustees meeting. “It’s a big deal, and we appreciate all the help we’ve gotten from everybody in the leadership of Florida State University as well as support from the board.” 

With approvals now in place from the city, university trustees and the state system’s governing board, the transfer is fully authorized. 

The agreement clears the way for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to serve as the clinical anchor of FSU Health, the university’s academic health system. Under the plan, FSU will own the hospital property, while TMH will continue to operate the hospital under a long-term lease and remain responsible for patient care, employees and daily operations. 

University and hospital leaders have said the partnership will expand medical education, strengthen clinical care and grow research in Tallahassee and across North Florida. 

The move builds upon years of collaboration between the two institutions, including construction of the FSU Health Research Center on the TMH campus, a facility designed to bring together clinicians, researchers and students. The facility is expected to open later this year. 

University and hospital leaders have also emphasized that TMH’s longstanding mission will remain unchanged, including its commitment to serve all patients. Deed restrictions approved by the city require the continuation of charity care and ensure the property remains a hospital. 

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Florida State University and Apalachee Center have established a new partnership to improve mental health care across the state, with a particular focus on Northwest Florida.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two institutions unites Apalachee Center’s more than 80 years of hands-on experience serving individuals living with mental illness and substance use disorder with Florida State University’s 175-year legacy of academic and research excellence. It also complements the university’s work through FSU Health to expand access and quality care across the state.

Together, the organizations will collaborate on large-scale research initiatives – leveraging Apalachee Center’s role as the region’s largest provider of mental health care and the internationally recognized expertise of FSU’s behavioral health researchers – with one shared goal: to deepen the understanding of mental illness and behavioral health challenges and advance the development of more effective treatments.

Through the agreement, Apalachee Center and FSU will:

• Collaborate on research to better understand the causes and effective treatments for behavioral health issues and mental illness
• Share insights and information in a safe and secure way to better understand community needs
• Develop joint initiatives that bring academic expertise and community care together

“Without question, the people of Florida will benefit from this partnership through the development of effective and innovative mental health services that improve lives,” said Dr. Alma Littles, dean of the FSU College of Medicine. “Working together, we will build upon the positive impact of FSU Health to create healthy, resilient communities.”

FSU’s behavioral health researchers span multiple units across the university including the College of Medicine, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Social Work, bringing a wide research perspective to the issue.

The partnership will support new initiatives in Leon and Bay counties, as well as across Florida, to expand access to and delivery of high-quality mental health services.

“This strategic endeavor will use de-identified anonymous data to study behavioral health trends and outcomes” said Dr. Jay Reeve, President and CEO of Apalachee Center. “For decades, behavioral health clinicians and researchers everywhere have been focused on ensuring that behavioral health treatments have replicable, positive outcomes that follow the science. This partnership is a crucial step in that direction for university researchers, providers and most importantly the residents of North Florida who rely on access to quality behavioral healthcare.”

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About Florida State University

Florida State University is a top public research university that is recognized nationally for its academic excellence, student success and robust research enterprise. Niche ranked FSU No. 11 on its list of America’s top public universities, and U.S. News & World Report has ranked FSU among the Top 25 public universities for seven consecutive years, driven by student retention and graduation rates that are among the best in the country. Celebrated for its entrepreneurial culture and forward-thinking approach, FSU is also ranked as one of the nation’s Most Innovative Schools.

About Apalachee Center

Since 1948, Apalachee Center, a private, not-for-profit organization, has been dedicated to supporting the mental health and recovery of individuals and families across Leon, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla Counties succeed in recovering from emotional, psychiatric and substance use disorder crises. For more information, visit ApalacheeCenter.org.

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The College of Social Work at Florida State University is establishing the Justice and Health Innovation Research Institute (JHI) to address disparities between the justice system and the fields of behavioral health and substance abuse care. 

The institute will draw from the college’s legacy of scholarship and instruction in substance use, behavioral health and criminal justice. 

“We are eager to improve health outcomes and community partnerships that are essential to advancing regional and national health landscapes,” reflected David Springer, dean of the College of Social Work. “This institute tangibly demonstrates the core mission and values of the social work profession while embracing a multidisciplinary approach in order to transform lives and strengthen communities.” 

“We are eager to improve health outcomes and community partnerships that are essential to advancing regional and national health landscapes. This institute tangibly demonstrates the core mission and values of the social work profession while embracing a multidisciplinary approach in order to transform lives and strengthen communities.” 

— David Springer, dean of the College of Social Work

Tanya Renn, an associate professor at the College of Social Work, will serve as JHI’s founding director, bringing expertise in substance use, health and well‑being and justice research. 

“By combining expertise in behavioral health with a deep understanding of justice-involved populations, the institute aims to create pathways of recovery and resilience that honor lived experience, disrupt cycles of justice involvement and foster thriving communities,” Renn said. 

The institute’s mission is built upon an integrated approach to: 

• Address substance use, mental health and justice involvement, requiring systems-level responses that confront inequality, restore dignity and ensure people have access to the support and opportunities to thrive. 

• Advance knowledge with a particular emphasis on evidence-based translational research and interventions in underserved settings and populations. 

• Reflect a holistic vision for advancing health and justice in tandem. 

• Use science to improve the well-being of individuals, families and communities.  

As the institute launches, it will be supported by Stephen Tripodi, a professor at the College of Social Work and doctoral program director, and Program Director Kerensa Lockwood. Additional faculty whose research aligns with the mission of JHI include Assistant Professors, John Moore and JaNiene Peoples. 

With a strong passion for using research to address real-world challenges, Tripodi, Lockwood, Peoples and Moore bring deep expertise and commitment to advancing the institute’s mission.  

The institute will also advance the goals of FSU Health’s mission — to build a comprehensive health ecosystem. FSU Health includes clinical and research-based centers and institutes that focus on a wide variety of issues affecting health and healthcare.  

JHI will expand innovation and public impact at the university, serving as a source for multidisciplinary scholarship, community engagement and policy-relevant intervention development.  

“JHI will be a catalyst for new opportunities, not only for research collaboration and funding, but of opportunities for student training in research and practice along with workforce development,” said Yaacov Petscher, associate dean for research, associate director of the Florida Center for Reading Research and professor at the College of Social Work. 

To learn more about JHI, contact Tanya Renn at trenn@fsu.edu.

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Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people around the world. To study this condition, researchers must peer inside the distinctive environment of the human brain.

For scientists to get the most accurate picture of the proteins that drive this disease, they must extract them without altering their environment.

In a study published in Protein Science, researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering demonstrated a new method for studying Alzheimer’s disease that keeps disease-causing proteins intact in a near-native environment, helping scientists get a more accurate picture of how they function.

“Alzheimer’s disease is devastating,” said Professor Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy, a co-author of the study. “More people are living longer, and that means more people are going to be living with Alzheimer’s disease, so we need to find a cure for it and other aging-related amyloid diseases, like Parkinson’s and Type 2 diabetes. Attempts to develop drugs for Alzheimer’s disease have failed, so we started to work on the C99 protein, which is the origin for everything.”

What they did

Researchers developed a method to extract a key protein involved in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease called C99.

Previously, C99 was difficult to study, as samples had to be removed from cells and prepared for analysis using detergents. The harsh, soap-like chemicals break down lipids, or fats, that surround C99 in the brain and influence how it behaves. Without lipids, C99’s behavior changes, and scientists were unable to study how it acts in its natural environment in the brain.

By using a non-detergent-based polymer to capture C99, the natural environment of the brain cells where the protein is found was preserved, providing researchers with a new way to study it.

“We have been developing these synthetic polymers that can extract proteins present in the cell membrane directly without using detergents,” Ramamoorthy said. “This work was about using synthetically prepared polymers in my lab to isolate a precursor protein along with the lipids present in the cell membrane and reconstituting them together in the form of disc-shaped particles called nanodiscs for a deeper medical investigation.”

How it works

C99 is a byproduct of the amyloid precursor protein, or APP, which is found in the brain.

When enzymes known as secretases cut APP, they produce fragments of C99 called Aβ isomers. The accumulation of Aβ and lipids causes plaque buildup, which is responsible for memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients by killing neuronal cells.

In this study, researchers isolated the C99 protein from a bacterial cell membrane then extracted it along with lipids surrounding C99 using their newly designed polymer. After extraction, researchers conducted further tests to confirm that the protein’s shape and lipids were still intact and preserved exactly as they are in cells.

Why it matters

This study represents a revolutionary advancement in Alzheimer’s research by keeping a key disease-causing protein intact for more accurate study.

“This work provides a toolkit for studying Alzheimer’s disease at the molecular level and it lets scientists observe C99 in its ‘natural habitat,’ which is something that had not been possible in more than 30 years of research,” Ramamoorthy said. “It creates a biomedically relevant and more accurate method for preparing proteins used in therapeutic discovery and Alzheimer’s disease modeling.”

The research could improve outcomes for pharmaceutical development, medical diagnostic and imaging tools or biotechnology manufacturing. The new method provides a foundation for further research that could one day lead to a cure.

“Drug development has so far not been able to solve the problems posed by Alzheimer’s disease,” Ramamoorthy said. “Our hope is that this new method will give researchers a clearer picture of how the C99 protein works and contributes to this disease, so that we can develop ways to stop its progression. Ultimately, we can find a cure.”

Researchers from the University of Michigan contributed to this study. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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FSU Health brings together researchers, educators and clinical partners under one umbrella to transform health and health care in Florida. To learn more, visit fsuhealth.fsu.edu.

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