Nemours Leader Receives NIH Transformative Research Award
Rodney Scott, MBChB, MRCP, DipStat, PhD, Division Chief of Neurology at Nemours Children’s Health in the Delaware Valley, has been awarded a prestigious NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award. The $2.6 million grant spans five years and targets a novel, cross-disciplinary approach to hippocampal dysfunction that may cut across several brain disorders.
Shifting Focus to Shared Hippocampal Mechanisms
Traditional treatments for autism, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease are typically disease-specific and may yield limited success. Dr. Scott explains that a common thread could lie in the hippocampus, a brain region essential for memory and emotion regulation. The research aims to identify patterns of abnormal hippocampal activity that recur across these conditions, offering the potential to develop therapies that benefit a broader patient population rather than a single diagnosis.
High-Risk, High-Reward Research Strategy
As part of the NIH Transformative Research Awards, the project embraces cross-cutting, interdisciplinary methods and high-risk ideas with the potential to redefine disease understanding and treatment. Dr. Scott and co-principal investigator Matt Mahoney, PhD, of The Jackson Laboratory, will combine biological data collection with mathematical modeling to illuminate how hippocampal networks malfunction in diverse disorders.
Integrated Experimental and Computational Approach
The project will employ living models and computer simulations to pinpoint disruptions in neural networks within the hippocampus. By correlating large-scale data with innovative models, the team aims to map abnormal patterns and test targeted interventions that could restore healthier network dynamics across conditions.
Collaborative Leadership and Experience
Dr. Scott joined Nemours in 2021 after a career spanning hospitals in Zimbabwe, England, and the United States. His work at Nemours builds on decades of progress in epilepsy treatment and the application of complex adaptive systems theories to neurology. He holds professorships at Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Thomas Jefferson University) in Neurology and Pediatrics, and at the University of Delaware in Biomedical Engineering.
Impact for Patients Across Lifespans
Though focused on childhood and adolescence, the implications of this research extend into adulthood. The NIH-funded project seeks to improve cognitive function and quality of life by uncovering shared mechanisms and exploring novel brain stimulation techniques that could be translated into therapies across multiple neurological disorders.
Statements from Nemours Leadership
Nemours leadership emphasizes the strategic value of this grant. Executive leadership notes that the NIH award supports high-caliber, non-mainstream ideas that could accelerate discovery and deliver new preventive and therapeutic options for generations to come. The collaboration with The Jackson Laboratory further strengthens the analytic and modeling capabilities driving the project.
What this Means for the Field
If the team confirms shared hippocampal dysfunction pathways, it could herald a paradigm shift in how clinicians approach autism, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease. The research may enable the development of cross-diagnostic therapies and inform a broader range of interventions to preserve memory, regulate emotion, and improve neurocognitive outcomes.
