(300 WORDS MAX.) Over 1 billion people worldwide are afflicted with neurodegenerative illness. For approximately 40 million, this means Alzheimer's disease. At present, we have no therapies to slow or reverse cognitive decline. Mitochondrial integrity is fundamental to all biological systems; there is a causative relationship established between mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegenerative decline. Our long-term goal is to develop FDA-approved neuroprotective drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease. Our objective for this proposal is to discover and develop small molecules that target a protease of the mitochondrial quality control pathway. Through our research and that of others, this mechanism-of-action has been shown to be crucial for mitochondrial integrity and neuronal survival.