MEDIA RELEASE – Oct. 20, 2026 — R0094

Brain blood vessels are a bit like cerebral superhighways, transporting nutrients, molecules and waste through the protective shield of the blood-brain barrier.

Like highways, blood vessels degenerate with age and become less efficient for transporting goods — or, in the case of the brain, potentially harmful metabolic waste.

When protein fragments called beta-amyloid build up in the brain, for example, they can clump together between neurons and form plaques that cause damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Newman Sze, Brock University Professor of Health Sciences and Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Health and Disease, says the failure to clear beta-amyloid, rather than the amount of beta-amyloid being produced, is being recognized as the key driver of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease that affects most dementia patients.

His research focuses on the proteins in the lining of blood vessels that remove beta-amyloid from the brain.

“We are exploring an overlooked question: whether proteins in the brain’s blood vessels gradually become damaged as we age and whether this makes it harder for the brain to remove waste across brain blood vessels,” he says.

The Alzheimer Society and Brain Canada have awarded Sze and his international research team $100,000 for his proof-of-concept project, Restoring Cerebrovascular Health in Alzheimer’s Disease by Targeting Molecular Damage in the Neurovascular Unit.

Sze is an international expert on how biological and chemical processes cause degenerative protein modifications during aging.

This damage hinders the normal functioning of healthy tissue and triggers chronic inflammation associated with conditions such as cardiovascular disease, lung disease and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

Damaged proteins also compromise the blood–brain barrier, a protective layer of cells lining the surfaces of the brain’s blood vessels.

With the latest grant, Sze and his team are testing their previous breakthrough research linking the age-related degeneration of proteins in blood vessels to the build-up of beta-amyloid in the brain and vessels.

“This study will test whether removing age-linked protein damage in brain blood vessels using antibodies can help the brain clear beta-amyloid naturally,” he says. “We will find out if fixing this damage prevents the buildup of amyloid in brain tissue and vessels, protects the blood–brain barrier and keeps brain circulation healthy as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.”

Sze and his group have already created an antibody, called isoDGR-mAb, to boost the immune system by finding and removing abnormal proteins and restoring normal function in brain blood vessels.

As part of their current project, the research team will test this antibody’s ability to clear out damaged proteins in blood vessels in animal models, ultimately paving the way for the development of a novel treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.

Sze says his team expects removing damaged proteins will protect the health of blood vessels and restore their ability to transport amyloid through the blood brain barrier, reducing buildup inside the brain.

“This could lead to new treatments that slow memory loss, protect thinking abilities and improve quality of life for people living with or at risk of dementia,” he says. “These therapies would protect the brain’s natural self-cleaning system and help maintain cognitive health.”

The research team includes Brock Health Sciences PhD students Ranjith Iyappan, Yazhini Thinakaran and Shakiru Alaka as well as Raj Kalaria from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom and Christopher Chen from the National University of Singapore.

The funding from Brain Canada is made possible thanks to the Canada Brain Research Fund, an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada, through Health Canada and Brain Canada.

“Dr. Sze’s innovative research exemplifies the power of this approach, offering new insights into how the brain’s vascular system may be harnessed to combat Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” says Brain Canada President and CEO Viviane Poupon. “We are proud to support research that could open new pathways to treatment and improve the lives of Canadians affected by these devastating conditions.”

Christina Scicluna, CEO, Alzheimer Society of Canada, says she is “grateful” to Brain Canada and to donors of the Alzheimer Society Research Program for supporting Sze’s work.

“Every innovative approach to treatment and care that is available today for Alzheimer’s or other dementias began as an early research question — and early investment in early research is how new options will become available in the future.”

For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

*Melinda Cheevers, Communications Specialist, Brock University, [email protected] or 289-241-5855

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