Dr. Tim Craig, Associate Professor of Neuroscience in the Centre for Biomedical Research is studying the potentially beneficial effects of mushrooms in combatting neurodegeneration
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease are rapidly increasing in prevalence. This is partly due an ageing population in the UK, but also potentially due to several different lifestyle and environmental factors. Despite decades of research into these diseases, we have only two licenced treatments available worldwide. Both of these treatments are based on monoclonal antibodies, are extremely expensive and of only limited benefit.
Recently, there has been increased interest in the role of traditional medicines as an alternative/complementary treatment for long-term conditions, especially ones associated with ageing. Interest in this does not come any rejection of modern medicine – the reasoning is that if something has been used for centuries, there may well be some therapeutic benefit to be gained from it. After all, many traditional medicines have given rise to mainstream drug classes, e.g. aspirin, derived from willow bark, was the precursor for an entire family of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines.
Of particular interest to us in the field of neurodegeneration are traditional medicines used to treat cognitive decline in the elderly. One of these is a wild edible mushroom called Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus), and which has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine. Several recent, peer reviewed research studies in Life Sciences, International Journal of Molecular Sciences and the Journal of Biomedical Science have demonstrated that compounds from these mushrooms can protect neurones from damage. Coupled to this, compounds found in many edible mushrooms have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory properties.
To further explore the beneficial potential of mushrooms on neuronal health, a research partnership has been established between CRIB and the Bristol Fungarium. Based in Barrow Gurney to the South West of Bristol, the Fungarium specialises in the growth of certified organic, native UK mushrooms in highly controlled environments. As well as providing edible mushrooms for the restaurant trade, it also manufactures extracts of several mushroom varieties. Dr. Craig began a collaboration with the Fungarium over two years ago, where he began investigating the effects of these extracts on our neuronal cellular model systems. This has led to the establishment of a Partnership PhD programme between Dr. Craig and the Fungarium. The research project, which commenced in April 2024, will be undertaken by Katie Turk, who will optimise the extraction process to increase the yield of therapeutic compounds in the resulting tinctures and use these to investigate the effects of several different mushroom extracts on the viability and signalling pathways in neuronal cells.
Dr. Craig said ‘The identification of novel therapeutic compounds is a potential game-changer in the fight against neurodegeneration, and will hopefully pave the way for new treatments for these devastating diseases”.
