Achiever: OU College of Medicine researcher earns $1.7 million grant

Shannon Conley, an assistant professor in the OU College of Medicine’s Department of Cell Biology, has earned a $1.7 million grant, which will allow her to further explore how damaged micro-vessels in the brain may contribute to cognitive decline in older adults.

Conley, a research member of the Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, received the five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health.

“It has become increasingly evident over the past 10 to 15 years that the smallest blood vessels are important in terms of contributing to disease pathology,” Conley said. “In the brain, this is especially important with aging. Because the brain can’t store any extra oxygen, the loss or damage of even a few tiny blood vessels means there’s not enough oxygen being supplied. In this project, we want to understand what is causing the damage or loss of blood vessels in the brain of an older adult.”

Conley is focusing on the relationship between IGF-1, a common growth hormone that promotes blood vessel health, and smooth muscle cells, which surround the outside of blood vessels and help regulate blood flow by contracting and dilating. Researchers know that a person’s IGF-1 levels decline with age and that a deficit of the hormone can lead to defects in blood vessels, a news release stated. However, much less is known about the role of smooth muscle cells in that process, according to the release.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU College of Medicine researcher earns $1.7 million grant