Henrieta Scholtzova, MD, PhD

My research has focused on ameliorating age-related defects in immune cell function and modulating Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology via stimulation of innate immunity with Toll-like-receptor (TLR9) agonist, CpG ODN. Building on these efforts, we have pioneered translational research using non-human primate (NHP) model that more closely recapitulates the human features of Alzheimer's disease (AD), predominantly cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), establishing a critical bridge between preclinical and clinical applications. This groundbreaking work laid a strong foundation for our ongoing Phase 1 Clinical Trial titled, “Innate Immunity Stimulation via TLR9 in Early AD”.

Another line of my research involves the development and validation of neuroimaging approaches to detect AD-related pathology, including amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) in NHPs. These projects also provide the opportunity to evaluate brain tissue integrity, particularly white matter microstructural changes, in a model of sporadic CAA pathology. Of critical importance are our contributions to the study of CAA-related complications, a research area that has gained significant attention due to their prevalence in patients receiving newly approved AD therapies.

Further efforts are devoted to conducting comprehensive longitudinal and cross-sectional studies on aging, utilizing analyses of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers related to AD and CAA pathology, and determining their relationships with imaging correlates, cognitive measures, and brain pathology signatures.

Hence, my lab's research is dedicated to providing translational insight into the processes driving the progression of CAA and AD, aiming to catalyze meaningful advancements in both diagnosis and treatment. We are committed to advancing our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular emphasis on the vascular contributions to cognitive impairment.