Beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is a potent neurotoxic amino acid that produced by cyanobacteria and can be found in almost every habitat, from oceans to fresh water to bare rock to soil. The role of BMAA in neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration is unknown; however, dietary exposure to BMAA has lead to some of the highest rates of devastating neurodegenerative diseases in humans such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS/PDC) and Alzheimer?s disease. This evidence leads scientists to believe that the food chain may be an important route of exposure for BMAA to the human populations
With funding from this Small Grant for Exploratory Research, researchers from the University Of Miami?s School Of Medicine will collaborate with scientists from the University of Hawaii and the Institute for Ethnomedicine to document the presence of BMAA in the coastal marine food chain in South Florida waters. Through multiple field sampling and analytical techniques, the principle investigators will evaluate the transfer of BMAA through the coastal marine food web, determining its presence and concentration, as well as its affects on the health of the human population.
The broader impacts of this research are directly related to global public health. With the worldwide spread of algal blooms caused by anthropogenic pollution, the risk of human exposure to this cyanobacterial neurotoxin becomes a significant public health concern. The results of this study will be valuable in the future prevention of neurodegenerative diseases and the establishment of policies regarding the prevention of future anthropogenic marine pollution.
