Toffler Scholar Program

THE 2024 FUNDING APPLICATION CYCLE HAS CLOSED.

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Overview

The Toffler Scholar Program was created by the Trustees of the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust, a 501 C3 nonprofit foundation focused on early-stage research that advances the medical field in profound, high-impact ways. Tapping into the deep legacy of their founders, best-selling authors and futurists, Alvin and Heidi Toffler, the trust exists to be a catalyst for future-focused breakthroughs. The Toffler Scholar Program focuses on helping university medical researchers gain access to support and a network of often underfunded innovations. It is a nimble source of financial support for medical researchers working on early-stage, future-focused brain science. Together with the Florida State University College of Medicine, the program helps foster new ways of thinking and problem solving to find solutions to humanity's most difficult problems. 

Toffler Scholar Program awards are one-year grants open to junior faculty working in research related to neurological, neuromuscular, neurodegeneration or neurodegenerative diseases. Questions about the program or requests for notification of upcoming award opportunities can be directed to research@med.fsu.edu. 

2024 Toffler Awardee

Devon Graham, Ph.D.

Devon Graham is an assistant professor at the Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee, FL. She earned her B.S. in Biology at Allegheny College and her Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of Maryland. Her postdoctoral training in developmental drug exposure. However, it was during the second postdoc at Vanderbilt University where she developed an interest in the role of GLP-1 receptors in drug reward. Not only does GLP-1 receptor activation decrease the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse in mice, but it also enhances cognitive function and promotes an anti-depressant-like phenotype. Both mood and cognition are negatively impacted by Alzheimer's disease, so it is possible that GLP-1 receptor agonists may be used as a pharmacotherapeutic. As a Toffler Scholar, Devon will study whether treatment with one such agonist can slow the progression of the disease in an Alzheimer's mouse model.

Project Title:

Dual incretin agonists on mood and memory: a preventative treatment for Alzheimer's disease. 

Project Summary:

Alzheimer's disease is a complex disorder in and of itself but rarely is it the only neuropsychiatric disorder that patients must contend with. Depression is oftentimes a risk factor, and event after an Alzheimer's diagnosis, patients may develop depressive symptoms, which can contribute to further cognitive decline. Given the high degree of comorbidity of both depression and Alzheimer's disease, it is possible that these disorders share a similar pathology. We and others have shown that administering GLP-1 receptor-activating drugs (e.g., exenatide, liraglutide, semaglutide) in rodents enhance cognitive function and may have an antidepressant effect. In this study, we will examine whether administering tirzepatide (Mounjaro®), which activates both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, can slow both disease progression and depression-like symptoms in an Alzheimer's mouse model. We hope that findings from these studies will determine whether repurposing this drug for use in the time immediately following an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis may improve overall patient outcomes and quality of life.

Previous Toffler Awardees: