Heather Rice, Ph.D.

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that affects memory, thinking and behavior in more than 6 million people across the U.S. One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is the buildup of plaques that form when proteins called amyloid-beta peptides stick together in the brain. These peptides are fragments from a larger molecule called the Amyloid Precursor Protein.

Reducing the amounts of Amyloid Precursor Protein in the brain may be a potential target for treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. My lab works to understand the normal role of the Amyloid Precursor Protein so we can identify new approaches to manage it and better understand the potential benefits and consequences of its removal.

My laboratory studies the biology of the Amyloid Precursor Protein and its various fragments that break off during healthy aging and in Alzheimer’s disease. In particular, we seek to identify the interactions of the Amyloid Precursor Protein with other proteins and the impact of these interactions on cellular functions and brain health.

Watch my 2019 TEDxKULeuvenBrussels Lecture
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Check out what inspired my research path in The Scientist magazine
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The molecular mechanisms regulating the normal function of the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) has largely remained elusive despite its central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. My lab recently identified the GABA type B receptor subunit 1a (GABA_BR1a) as a synaptic receptor for the shed APP ectodomain (sAPP) and revealed a physiological role for sAPP in regulating GABA_BR1a function to modulate synaptic transmission.

Current work of the lab is aimed at further dissecting the role of APP in specific cell types of the brain and determining the consequences of this signaling on multiple pathways including synaptic function, neuroinflammation and mitochondrial function. The lab aims to exploit this normal function of APP to counteract disease processes and develop novel strategies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Education
B.S. in zoology-biomedical sciences, University of Oklahoma, 2007
Ph.D. in Neurobiology, Harvard University, 2013
Postdoctoral training, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 2013-2019

Honors and Awards
Junior Faculty Award Winner, Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Disease International Conference, 2019
21^st Century Woman of Innovations in Health, The Oklahoman, 2020
Faculty Leadership Fellow, OUHSC, 2020
Trainee, NIA Summer Training Course in Experimental Aging Research, 2021
College of Medicine Alumni Research Scholar, OUHSC, 2021
Academic All-State Honored Alumni, Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Awards Banquet, 2023

Memberships and Other Activities
Invited Reviewer: Alzheimer’s Association International Research Grant Program, PLOS
Biology, Neuroscience, Geroscience, Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, 2017-present
Chair, Gordon Research Seminar: Neurobiology of Brain Disorders, 2018
Early Career Reviewer, Special Emphasis Panel on Molecular and Cellular Causal Aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease (ZRG1 MDCN P (56)), 2021
Reviewer, Special Emphasis Panel on Alzheimer's Disease and its Related Dementias (ZRG1 AN Z55), 2023

Joined OMRF scientific staff in 2023

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Recent Publications

Hense JD, Garcia DN, Zanini BM, Barreto MM, Perreira GC, Isola JVV, de Brito C, Fornalik M, Mondal SA, Ávila BM, Oliveira TL, Rice HC, Lacy CI, Vaucher RA, Mason JB, Masternak MM, Stout MB, Schneider A. MASLD does not affect fertility and senolytics fail to prevent MASLD progression in male mice. Sci Rep 14:17332, 2024 July, PMID: 39068167, PMCID: PMC11283523

Chen J, Ding Y, Jiang C, Qu R, Wren JD, Georgescu C, Wang X, Reuter DN, Liu B, Giles CB, Mayr CH, Schiller HB, Dai J, Stipp CS, Subramaniyan B, Wang J, Zuo H, Huang C, Fung KM, Rice HC, Sonnenberg A, Wu D, Walters MS, Zhao YY, Kanie T, Hays FA, Papin JF, Wang DW, Zhang XA. CD151 Maintains Endolysosomal Protein Quality to Inhibit Vascular Inflammation. Circ Res, 2024 April, PMID: 38557119, PMCID: PMC11081830

Bubak MP, Mann SN, Borowik AK, Pranay A, Batushansky A, Vieira de Sousa Neto I, Ali Mondal SA, Doidge SM, Davidyan A, Szczygiel MM, Peelor Iii FF, Rigsby S, Broomfield ME, Lacy CI, Rice HC, Stout MB, Miller BF. 17α-estradiol Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Inflammatory and Metabolic Dysfunction in Skeletal Muscle of Male and Female Mice. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2024 January, PMID: 38197793, PMCID: PMC11193529

Selected Publications

Rice HC, Marcassa G, Chrysidou I, Horré K, Young-Pearse TL, Müller UC, Saito T, Saido TC, Vassar R, de Wit J, De Strooper B. (2020) Contribution of GABAergic interneurons to amyloid-β plaque pathology in an APP knock-in mouse model. Molecular Neurodegeneration. Jan 8;15(1):3.

Rice HC, de Malmazet D, Schreurs A, Frere S, Van Molle I, Volkov O, Creemers E, Vertkin I, Ranaivoson F, Nys J, Comoletti D, Savas JN, Remaut H, Balschun D, Wierda KD, Slutsky I, Farrow K, De Strooper B, de Wit J. (2019) Secreted Amyloid-β Precursor Protein Functions as a GABA_BR1a Ligand to Modulate Synaptic Transmission. Science. 363(6423). doi: 10.1126/science.aao4827

Aging & Metabolism Research Program, MS 46
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
825 N.E. 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

E-mail: Heather-Rice@omrf.org

For media inquiries, please contact OMRF’s Office of Public Affairs at news@omrf.org.

Casandra Salina Salinas
Research Technician II

Dylan Barber
Graduate Student

Samah Houmam
Graduate Student

Kriti Shukla
Graduate Student

Holly Smith
Administrative Assistant III