Huff

Do microplastics affect brain function? Plastic particles have been detected in human brain tissue, accumulating around blood vessels, and at higher concentrations in some individuals with dementia. We still don’t know if they disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We don’t know if carriers of APOE4 (a major genetic risk factor) are more vulnerable. That’s the question Gavin Spillard, a talented student in my lab, decided to go after. Last week over lunch, he brought this up. We looked at what’s known and what isn’t, and it was clear this is the kind of question that would normally take close to a year to fund. We already have the tools in place. So instead of waiting, we decided to just go for it. Through my work with ResearchHub, I can now partially fund projects like this using yield from my endowment. I covered half the microgrant myself, and now we’ll see if we can move from idea to data in a few weeks. If this research matters to you, consider contributing. We plan to compare how APOE3 vs APOE4 human iPSC-pericytes handle microplastics, measure uptake and transcriptional response, and test effects in BBB models and brain tissue. Then ask if we can reverse any APOE-specific signatures pharmacologically. As a thank you, every contributor receives a unique image of a pericyte in your favorite color 🧫 . Read the full project in the comments! We also appreciate any feedback for this preregistration!