Darshan Sapkota, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Dougherty Lab, got funding for his K99 application. With this grant, Darshan will study the role of a new variant of Aquaporin 4 protein in brain function and Alzheimer’s disease. Aquaporin 4 is a water transporter expressed in astrocytes. Earlier this year the Dougherty lab reported an extended version of Aquaporin 4 and showed it to be exclusively localized around the blood vessels in the brain. Darshan will now use this K99 award to determine the role of this new Aquaporin 4 in removing amyloid-β from the brain and in mediating neuronal functions such as memory formation.
