Dr. O'Barr is funded by the Alzheimer's Association to study novel drug treatments in the battle against Alzheimer's disease (AD). Current studies place a small protein called Amyloid-beta (A-beta) in areas most affected in AD, leading to inflammation, neuron dystrophy and memory loss. Along with collaborators from the VA and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, he can slow down the production of A-beta and speed up its removal from the brain. He also has funded collaborative projects with clinical faculty studying changes in immune function caused by medications used to treat heart failure and HIV infection.>