Meet LLF's 2024 William B. Shuler Life Sciences Fellow
William “Bill” Shuler spent more than 29 years at LLNL, dedicated to astrophysics, high-energy experimental physics, strategic weapons design and modern manufacturing. After his tragic passing in March 2021, Bill’s sister, Leslie Blain, established the William B. Shuler Fund for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the Livermore Lab Foundation.
Blain noted that while her brother’s legacy might be primarily associated with the Lab’s mission of stockpile stewardship and the nuclear deterrent, she saw an opportunity to pay it forward, on behalf of Bill and for the greater good. “I wanted something good to come out of his battle with Alzheimer’s,” she said. “Bill would want that.”
This past summer brought the first William B. Shuler Life Sciences Fellow to LLNL.
Meet Prayagee Songhela. Prayagee is a Biomedical Sciences major at Arizona State University. Since early childhood, she was inspired and motivated by the women in her family with successful careers in STEM fields. This led to her interest in science, especially biology.
In Summer 2024, under the mentorship of Drs. Doris Lam and Anne Caroline Mascarenhas, Prayagee studied the role of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and the gut microbiome in the development of brain disorders like Alzheimer’s and ALS, respectively. AChE is an enzyme whose primary function is to promote the breakdown of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.
Prayagee used Ellman’s Assay to assess AChE activity based on chemical reactions in rats. She found it was higher in rats treated with a nerve agent surrogate, and that nanoplastics appear to inhibit AChE. Inhibition of AChE can result in cholinergic toxicity in brain disorders.
AChE promoters are commonly used in the treatment of cognitive disorders (such as Alzheimer’s disease or Lewy body dementia) or as reversal for neuromuscular blockage.
A follow up study will examine the link between increased levels of AChE and behavioral changes observed in rats seven days post exposure, since the expectation was that the behavioral changes would have leveled off or even decreased by that time.
Prayagee is thankful to LLF for the opportunity to work with experts in the biomedical sciences and for hands-on research experience. The highlight of her summer was learning new data mining skills and visiting the UCSF ALS clinic.
Fun facts about Prayagee: She enjoys meeting new people and playing sports.
The William B. Shuler Fund for Neurodegenerative Research provides dedicated resources to LLNL’s unique science portfolio. Contributions in honor of Bill Shuler are fully deductible to the extent of the law.