A research team led by William C. Friday Chair and Distinguished Professor at UNC Pembroke, Dr. Ben Bahr, has achieved a significant milestone in Alzheimer’s disease research with a new study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and selective journals in the field.

The paper, titled “Ginseng extract improves synaptic resiliency: A key factor for healthy cognitive aging,” appears in a special anniversary issue honoring the nation’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs). UNC Pembroke is a partner institution of the Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill ADRC, one of only two such centers in North Carolina. The Bahr Lab is among many working tirelessly to understand why a healthy diet reduces the risk of dementia by 40-50%.

“This is one of the highest-impact journals in Alzheimer’s research,” Dr. Bahr said in a press release. “The review process is extremely rigorous, and very few papers are accepted. To have our work appear here is both an honor and a powerful statement about the quality of research happening at UNCP and our ability to form valuable collaborations.”

The study examines how plant extracts aid in protecting the brain by enhancing synaptic resiliency — the capacity of neurons to maintain healthy connections as we age. Synaptic connections are crucial for learning and memory and are among the first structures to deteriorate in Alzheimer’s disease.

Bahr’s team focused on a key protein clearance system known as the autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP), which functions as cleanup and recycling machinery in all the brain’s 86 billion neurons.

“For 30 years, my lab has studied how this protein-clearance pathway protects the brain,” Bahr said in a press release. “We screened a wide range of natural products and discovered that specific plant extracts activate this same protective mechanism. Along with Research Specialist Miranda Chebahtah, who brings years of veterinary technician and teaching experience to my lab, we are now exploiting the mechanistic pathway for drug discovery efforts.”

The researchers used living brain tissue cultures, which were maintained in the lab for months, to model early Alzheimer's-like stress and test the effects of natural compounds on neuronal health. They found that ginseng extract improved the integrity and stability of synaptic connections, also preserving brain function in an animal model of cognitive impairment.

Undergraduate researchers at UNCP played key roles in the project, gaining hands-on experience with techniques rarely available at the undergraduate level.

“To be part of a study published in a journal of this caliber is a game-changer for students,” said Dr. Sayo Fakayode, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, in a press release. “They learn what it takes to produce research at the highest level, and having their names on a paper like this opens doors to PhD programs, medical school and industry careers.”

While the ginseng findings are significant, Bahr said they are only the beginning. His lab has already developed small-molecule drug candidates that activate the same protective pathway, leading to a patented Alzheimer’s-related technology in 2022 and a second-phase patent now pending.

With support from NCInnovation, Professor Bahr is launching his second spin-off company to commercialize this intellectual property and attract pharmaceutical partners.

“Our goal is to provide an effective and safe treatment that can be taken as a simple pill,” Bahr said in a press release. “In addition to a uniquely targeted therapy to be affordable and accessible, my team is also working to improve dementia awareness for a dementia-friendly society, especially for underserved communities.”