McCance Center Brain Fitness Quarterly

FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK

Greetings!

Big things are happening at the Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health! We’re making great strides with our Prediction and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease (Pre-AD) Initiative, and our incredible team and collaborators have recently published papers in several high-impact journals. Overall, McCance Center-affiliated authors have published 47 peer-reviewed papers thus far this calendar year 2025 (more than 2 new research papers per week).

Additionally, we’re gearing up to launch our 2025-26 Academic Year Seminar Series. We are in the process of seeking approval for continuing education credit for this series, which should greatly expand our attendance.

A huge thank you to everyone who supports our mission. We are thrilled to share this newsletter and keep you in the loop on the groundbreaking work underway here.

Best Wishes,

Rudy Tanzi, PhD, Director

McCance Center Research Breakthroughs

The McCance Center team continues to push the boundaries of dementia research. Our recent paper in Alzheimer’s & Dementia highlights the discovery of 16 novel Alzheimer's disease susceptibility genes. Dr. Rudy Tanzi and Dr. Dmtry Prokopenko spoke with Women’s Health magazine about these findings. Read the article here.

A paper published in Neuron by McCance-affiliated faculty illustrates the use of AI to target new ways of treating AD, including validation of AI drug predictions in our Alzheimer’s-in-a-dish TM model. Click here to learn more.

McCance Center affiliated faculty also recently published a paper in Neurology, which found that women with a higher McCance Brain Care Score (BCS) – a score that measures physical, lifestyle, and social-emotional factors – have a lower risk of experiencing a stroke or other cerebrovascular event, reducing blood flow to the brain.

To learn more, click here.

Read more here.

McCance Center Director, Dr. Rudy Tanzi and Dr. Laura Molina Porcel, from the University of Barcelona, pause for a photo at the AD/PD conference in Vienna last month. Dr. Tanzi presented on the McCance Center’s Pre-AD initiative aimed at testing combinations of FDA-approved drugs & natural products as treatments for AD.

McCance Center adds Biostatistician to Team

We recently welcomed Yan Gao, PhD, as a Senior Biostatistician to the McCance Center team. Yan comes to our center with a great deal of experience from Eli Lilly, where she developed statistical analysis plans to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of an Alzheimer’s disease treatment. Prior to Eli Lilly, Yan worked as a biostatistician at the Jackson Heart Study at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She has expertise with big data (omics) management and analysis and has co-authored publications on chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease.

Yan says she’s excited to be part of the McCance interdisciplinary team that is pushing the boundaries on brain health.

Seminar Series Lineup

We have a several exciting presentations on tap in our virtual seminar series. If you would like to attend, contact Elizabeth Fonseca at etfonseca@mgb.org

On Friday, May 30^th at 11 AM EST via Zoom, Magdalena Opazo Breton, PhD, will present “Evaluating the impact of large-scale policies on reducing dementia risk using causal inference methods and exploring heterogeneous effects”

On Monday, June 23, 2025 at 11 AM EST via Zoom, Mehdi Jorfi, PhD will present Taming the Fire: Immune cells in Alzheimer’s disease (Insights from the ALZ-IMMUNE CHIP platform).

On Friday, June 27, 2025 at 11 AM EST via Zoom, McCance Center Medical Director Zeina El-Chemali, MD, MPH will speak about brain health.

On Monday, July 7, 2025 at 11 AM EST via Zoom, Giulia Menichetti, PhD, will discuss nutrition and brain health.

See the complete list of presenters here: McCance Center Events

Brain-Healthy Eating

Check out these favorite nutrient-rich recipes from the McCance Center Director of Clinical Trials, Dr. Gene Bowman.

Breakfast

Matcha Green Tea* Overnight Oats

Ingredients: Rolled oats, matcha powder, almond milk, chia seeds, blueberries, walnuts

Macros (per serving): 380 kcal | 12g protein | 54g carbs | 14g fat

Micronutrients: High in EGCG, fiber, omega-3s, vitamin C

Instructions: Mix ½ cup oats, 1 tsp matcha, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds. Refrigerate overnight. Top with ½ cup blueberries and 1 oz walnuts.

*Matcha dose is about 50 mg caffeine. Less than 1-cup of coffee.

Lunch

Kale & White Bean Salad

Ingredients: Kale, cannellini beans, olive oil, lemon, walnuts

Macros: 420 kcal | 15g protein | 45g carbs | 22g fat

Micronutrients: Vitamin A, C, K, iron

Instructions: Massage 2 cups kale with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add ½ cup beans, 1 oz walnuts. Dress with lemon juice.

Dinner

Lentil & Walnut Stuffed Peppers (Vegan)

Ingredients: Bell peppers, lentils, walnuts, tomatoes, spices

Macros: 380 kcal | 18g protein | 42g carbs | 18g fat

Micronutrients: Iron, folate, vitamin C

Instructions: Mix ½ cup cooked lentils, ¼ cup walnuts, ½ cup tomatoes. Stuff into peppers, bake at 375°F for 25 mins.

on our clinical programs and research initiatives.

If you would like to learn more about how you can support

the McCance Center for Brain Health, please contact Michael Johnson

at mjohnson107@mgh.harvard.edu or 617-643-9989.