A research paper titled "The Association Between Telomere Length and Alzheimer's Disease", written by IB Course Grade 12 student Minami Nakamura, has been published in The Curieux Review, a U.S.-based academic journal for student researchers.

The Curieux Review is a student-led nonprofit academic journal based in California, USA, that publishes outstanding research conducted by high school and middle school students following a peer-review process. Nakamura’s paper appears on page 65 of Issue 6 Part 2 (April 2026) and can be accessed through the journal’s website ( https://www.curieuxreview.com/spring-summer-2026 ).

Nakamura’s paper explores the relationship between telomere length and Alzheimer’s disease, an important topic in contemporary medicine and life sciences. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia and is primarily characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta proteins in the brain, forming plaques, as well as abnormal phosphorylation of tau proteins that causes neurofibrillary tangles. Telomeres, on the other hand, are protective cap-like structures located at the ends of chromosomes and are often referred to as the “biological clock” of cellular aging because they gradually shorten with each cell division.

In the paper, Nakamura examines how telomere shortening may contribute to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by drawing on a wide range of evidence, including meta-analyses, clinical data, and molecular-level studies. The paper discusses findings showing that telomeres are significantly shorter in Alzheimer’s patients than in healthy individuals, that telomere erosion is particularly pronounced in brain regions associated with memory, and that oxidative stress and impaired DNA repair mechanisms accelerate telomere shortening. Based on these findings, the paper argues that telomere changes may not merely be a consequence of aging, but may actively contribute to the disease process itself. The paper also considers future therapeutic strategies such as telomerase activators and gene therapy, while carefully examining their limitations and potential risks.

The ability to accurately understand advanced molecular biological concepts—topics that are often challenging even at the undergraduate university level—and to organize them into a well-structured academic paper in English is highly commendable. Nakamura’s careful approach, avoiding overly simplistic conclusions and thoughtfully evaluating the limitations of existing evidence, strongly reflects the critical thinking skills that the IB program seeks to cultivate.

Actively engaging with a highly specialized topic, writing a research paper in English, and having the work published in an international academic journal has clearly become a major source of confidence for Nakamura. We look forward to seeing further achievements from Nakamura, who has steadily pursued academic inquiry and shared the results of that research with the world.