Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by accumulation of clumps (also called plaques) and bundles of fibers (also called tangles) in the brain, for which there is currently no cure. Sirolimus is an FDA-approved medication which may improve the blood flow to the brain. Part I: This study is designed to see if sirolimus treatment improves MRI blood flow to the brain in individuals with and without a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease. Part I of this study is complete and no longer enrolling participants. Part II: Ongoing research will expand the genetic predisposition cohort and further explore the drug's impact on the lung perfusion via hyperpolarized xenon-129 gas MRI and the brain-vascular connection. Only subjects who are APOE4 carriers will be enrolled in Part II. Hyperpolarized xenon-129 gas MRI is a non-invasive technique in which a subject inhales a bolus of hyperpolarized xenon-129 gas which can be directly imaged by the MRI as it physiologically distributes itself throughout the lung interior and within tissue and red blood cells. It thus allows for direct imaging and quantification of regional lung function: ventilation, gas-exchange, and perfusion. The relationship between pulmonary vascular function and brain perfusion is largely unstudied. We hope to investigate the relationship between pulmonary vascular function and cerebral blood flow by quantifying both lung and brain perfusion before and after the administration of Sirolimus.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
205
1 mg of Sirolimus taken orally once a day for 4 weeks.
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, Missouri, United States
RECRUITINGChange in Cerebral Blood Flow as measured on MRI
Rate of blood perfusion expressed as mL/100g/min globally and regionally
Time frame: Baseline to 4 weeks
Part I: Plasma and Microbiome Biomarkers
Part I: To assess baseline-to-post-treatment changes in plasma metabolomics and short-chain-fatty-acids (SCFA) profiles
Time frame: Part I: Baseline to 4 weeks
Part I: Plasma and Microbiome Markers
Part I: To assess baseline-to-post-treatment changes in plasma markers associated with AD pathology
Time frame: Part I: Baseline to 4 weeks
Part I: Plasma and Microbiome Biomarkers
Part I: To assess baseline-to-post-treatment changes in plasma cytokine levels
Time frame: Part I: Baseline to 4 weeks
Part I: Plasma and Microbiome Markers
Part I: To assess baseline-to-post-treatment gut microbiome diversity and composition
Time frame: Part I: Baseline to 4 weeks
Part II: RBC/Membrane Ratio
Part II: In addition to the outcome measures listed for Part I of this study, the secondary outcome measures for Part II are as follows: ratio of xenon signal dissolved in RBCs to xenon signal dissolved in membrane tissues
Time frame: Part II: Baseline to 4 weeks
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