Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in long term cognitive impairment (CI) that has no FDA-approved pharmacotherapy. Previous research in pain models has revealed that A3  adenosine receptor (A3AR) stimulation drives potent anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 (IL-10) release from immune cells. Current A3AR agonists are highly specific, safe, and exemplified by the compound, MRS5980. The present study suggests IL-10 is the critical mediator of MRS5980's neuroprotective effects post TBI. In recent experiments, wild type mice were subjected to either a sham or closed-head weight-drop TBI to determine how long drug administration could be delayed with retention of cognitive benefits. Injured experimental groups received vehicle or MRS5980 (1 mg/kg I.P.) at 1h, 24h, or 72h post-procedure and sham mice received vehicle. Dosing continued every 48h for the duration of the study. Behavioral testing conducted 4 weeks later revealed that MRS5980 treatment 1h and 24h post TBI prevented memory impairment in novel object recognition and T-maze tests. Continued investigation into the effective mechanism reveals that  IL-10 knockout mice subjected to TBI do not retain memory when treated with MRS5980 24hrs post-TBI, supporting the hypothesis that the A3AR is a suitable therapeutic target candidate for CI post TBI. 

Khiana joined the Farr lab in 2023 through her personal interest in Alzheimer's Disease and with the mentorship of Dr. Susan Farr, Monica Goodland and Ivonne Larrea she has been a rising star ever since.