Cincinnati Researcher Awarded Grant to Create Human-Based Model to Study Neurodegenerative Diseases
By Maria Petkovic
An Ohio researcher was awarded a 2025 ARDF animal-free biomedical research grant for work in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Jason Tchieu at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is working to create a human pluripotent stem cell-derived model of the olfactory epithelium and olfactory sensory neurons.
Dr. Tchieu is one of eight researchers across the county awarded by the Alternatives Research and Development (ARDF) Program’s annual Open Grant Program in 2025. This program provides funding to researchers who are working to establish alternative, animal-free biomedical research and testing strategies. The organization, a non-profit established in 1993, has awarded over $4.5 million in grants in total to fund research projects.
In 2025, the foundation received a record number of applications, with 174 researchers sending letters of intent in hopes of receiving funding for development of alternative methods. The eight selected applicants received grants with a maximum amount of $50,000 each.
Their projects are wide ranging; from human-based models and organoids to better understand issues that affect the brain, heart, and lungs to research that is looking to improve animal-free methods of drug testing. Dr. Ticheu in Cincinnati is researching how olfactory dysfunction plays a part in neurodegenerative diseases. This will help determine whether loss of smell is something that should be considered a critical marker for diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The ADRF is currently evaluating 2026 applications. Proposals are reviewed for their scientific value and their potential to reduce or replace the use of animals in the near future. By supporting projects like Dr. Tchieu’s research, ARDF shows that replacing animal models can be a powerful way to gain deeper insight into human disease, while addressing the ethical issues that come along with medical research. To learn more about the program and the scientists it supports, visit: Annual Open Grants - Alternatives Research and Development Foundation
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