The UWSoP Department of Medicinal Chemistry is proud to announce that PhD student Cristiana Meuret has been awarded the prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31). This highly competitive five-year training grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a testament to Cristiana’s outstanding research potential and academic achievements. Her application achieved an impressive impact score of 22, highlighting the significance of her innovative research proposal, titled “Deciphering the Role of Glycan Sulfation in Neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s Disease”.
The NRSA Fellowship is designed to support promising predoctoral students by providing individualized, mentored research training under exceptional faculty sponsors. The program enables awardees to conduct impactful dissertation research in health-related fields, helping them build the foundation for a successful career as independent research scientists. In addition to financial support, the fellowship offers access to invaluable resources and mentorship to foster scientific growth and development.
Advancing Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Cristiana’s research focuses on uncovering how sulfate modification of endogenous sugar moieties, known as glycan sulfation, affects the development of Alzheimer’s disease and neuroinflammation. These sugar molecules and their specific sulfation patterns play a critical role in regulating neurons and glial cells involved in the neurocircuitry of memory formation and cognitive function. Previous work has identified an increase in a distinct glycan sulfation pattern that correlates with elevated Alzheimer’s disease-specific biomarkers and clinical measures of cognitive decline, suggesting a link between this glycan sulfation pattern and Alzheimer’s disease progression. Cristiana has elevated the levels of this distinct glycan sulfation pattern in mice, which led to the activation of neuroinflammatory markers (signs of brain inflammation) and loss of glycans that help protect and support neurons.
Cristiana plans to continue this work by increasing this glycan sulfation pattern around neurons and glial cells in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Using cutting-edge imaging techniques, she further aims to map these glycan sulfation patterns to key biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Her thesis work has the potential to deepen our understanding of mechanisms driving the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and contribute to the development of more effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
A Milestone Achievement
Reflecting on this accomplishment, Cristiana shared her gratitude and excitement:
“I am deeply honored to receive this award and am determined to contribute to advancing our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease,” she said. “This fellowship reflects not only my longstanding research efforts to furthering our knowledge on how to treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease, but also the invaluable support I have received throughout my academic journey. Science is a collaborative effort that relies not only on our ability of bring together diverse fields of expertise, but also on our willingness of effectively mentor and train aspiring junior scientists. I am especially grateful to my mentors and colleagues from the MARC U-STAR scholarship program at CU Denver who supported me during the early stages of my career, as well as those at the University of Southern California who provided me with so many opportunities to grow as a scientist.
At the University of Washington, I owe immense thanks to my mentors, Assistant Professor Kim Alonge and Associate Professor Mike Guttman, whose unwavering support and guidance have been instrumental in helping me achieve this milestone. It has been a privilege to learn from so many incredible scientists, and I hope to pass on that knowledge and effectively mentor the next generation of scientists who will rely on me when I lead my own lab someday. Finally, I especially want to thank my husband, Ben, who has been by my side throughout every step of this journey”.
Looking Ahead
Cristiana will officially begin her NRSA Fellowship in January 2025. Her innovative research holds great promise for advancing our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that affects millions of people worldwide. With the support of this fellowship, Cristiana is poised to make meaningful contributions to the field of medicinal chemistry and beyond. Her achievement not only reflects her dedication and talent but also underscores the impact of mentorship and collaboration in driving scientific discovery.