Dr. Carmo Costa brings her passion for studying neurodegenerative diseases to MSU

By Chuck Carlson

By chance, Dr. Carmo Costa found her passion in science. Through determination, she has continued it.

“I am very passionate about my work,” she said. “Throughout my research journey, I was always surrounded by people who were deeply passionate about studying these diseases.”

These diseases, and the reason she has brought her talents to the Michigan State University Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, are neurodegenerative diseases.

“I’m working to better understand molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and to identify drugs and therapeutic targets for hereditary polyglutamine diseases like Huntington’s disease,” she said.

Her special area of interest, though, is Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), a neurogenerative disease marked by progressive issues with movement, coordination, and balance. It can also include stiffness, tremors, double vision, and sleep disorders.

While not as well-known as Huntington’s disease, Dr. Costa said that SCA3 is most probably the most common polyglutamine disease around the world.

“I’ve been working on these diseases for 26 years,” said Dr. Costa, who did her postdoctoral work and her research for the past 17 years at the University of Michigan.

Her interest in scientific research began in her early years in Porto, Portugal.

“Since I was very little, I always liked nature and science classes,” she said. “I really loved chemistry, and that was my favorite class. I liked biology, but mostly I liked chemistry. I was fascinated with how atoms were put together to build molecules. Later on, I learned how biomolecules were built by all these atoms. I was fascinated with DNA, RNA, and proteins. I loved how things built on each other. I really liked how biology relied on the chemical components, and I thought, ‘I want to be a biochemist.’”

Later, as she studied biochemistry at the University of Porto, she knew she’d need a research topic for her final “capstone” project.

“I didn’t necessarily want to work in neurosciences,” she said. “I wanted to work in something that was related to human health. One project was to establish the molecular diagnosis of Huntington’s disease and improve the molecular diagnosis for SCA-3 in the reference lab for the diagnosis of repeat diseases in Portugal. I thought that was cool, participating in something that was directly useful for human health, and that was the theme of my undergraduate research thesis.”

She has been working on SCA-3 ever since. Her Ph.D. dissertation focused on understanding the function of the protein that causes SCA-3, ataxin-3.

“While characterizing the expression ataxin-3 throughout the body, I found that this protein is highly expressed in muscle cells,” she said. “I thought that was very interesting. Pursuing this observation, I discovered that ataxin-3 is involved in differentiation of muscle cells and involved in maintaining cytoskeleton integrity and in regulating proliferation of several types of cells.”

After years of working in Ann Arbor, Dr. Costa was intrigued by the opportunity to come to MSU to continue and expand her research. And the PhmTox Department was glad to welcome her.

“Carmo is exactly the kind of scientist we like to hire at MSU PhmTox because her research program fits well with the drug discovery mission of the department,” said Department Chair Dr. Anne Dorrance. “Carmo’s studies have the potential to identify new therapies to treat SCA-3, a condition that currently lacks effective treatments.”

“I’m excited by the department’s strengths, which complement and enhance the direction of my work,” Dr. Costa said. “I’m more of a cellular biologist doing drug and target discovery, and this department is perfect for my research. It’s a great fit.”

And her passion for learning about neurodegenerative diseases, how they impact the human body, and how these diseases continue to affect more people as the population ages is unabated.

“There’s always something more to learn about these complex neurodegenerative disorders, and the opportunity to contribute to improving the quality of life of those affected is very moving and highly motivating”, she said. “That’s all I wanted to do.”