Investigating and Treating APOE4-Driven Vascular Alzheimer鈥檚 Dementia Using Pulmonary Fibrosis Drugs
Leon Wang, 17, of Stamford, identified FDA-approved drugs that might be helpful against Alzheimer鈥檚 disease for his Regeneron Science Talent Search neuroscience project.
First, Leon studied cellular changes associated with a gene variant known as APOE4. APOE4 is the greatest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer鈥檚, but researchers don鈥檛 know why. Using publicly available data, Leon confirmed previous findings that APOE4 carriers had a more active pathway for the signaling protein TGF尾 in the cells that line blood vessels in the brain. Leon studied lab-grown versions of those cells and found that higher TGF尾 activity damaged them.
From prior studies, he identified two FDA-approved drugs known to turn down TGF尾, nintedanib and pirfenidone, treatments for lung scarring. In the cell model, both drugs reduced signs of damage from overactive TGF尾. Repurposing existing drugs is safer and cheaper than creating new ones. These and other drugs targeting TGF尾 may one day help treat Alzheimer鈥檚.
The child of Xiaowen Wang and Zhen Qian, Leon attends King School, where he is co-captain of both the math and debate teams.
Beyond the Project
Leon co-captains his school鈥檚 debate team and was a first-place speaker at the 2025 Yale Invitational debate tournament. He aims to one day apply his debate skills to promote equal access to scientific innovations.
FUN FACTS: Leon co-founded Weblift, a nonprofit marketing service that gives free support to local minority-owned small businesses.
