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Cox then traveled to the Ogimi village of Okinawa, Japan, a region with more centenarians than any other in the world. The village has no recorded instances of ALS. He visited to observe the lifestyles and diets of the residents, hoping their habits revealed a secret to their longevity and lack of neurological disease. He found what he was looking for. Besides engaging in a physically active daily routine — gardening is popular— the people of Ogimi eat a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, seaweeds, and tofu. When Cox and his laboratory in Wyoming began analyzing the foods, one element came back off the charts: the amino acid L-serine. For proteins to carry out their function within the body, they must fold like origami in intricate ways. When a protein misfolds, it can affect the health of the cell in which it resides, and enough protein-misfolding can lead to negative health effects in the body. As it happens, protein-misfolding is believed to be the primary cause of ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
One of the roles of L-serine is to help the protein do its job correctly, and with strong preliminary evidence that an increase in L-serine can slow or combat the onset of neurological disease, Cox is forging ahead. His initial trial for a potential new treatment, albeit with only 20 participants, shows promise. He now has phase II trials underway, and should they go well, he’s hoping to partner with a pharmaceutical company to carry out a large phase III trial and push the treatment toward regulatory approval. Cox does this work in his office, Brain Chemistry Labs, nestled on the edge of the woods in Jackson, Wyoming. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was a winter cabin if it didn’t share the same parking lot as a clothing store and wasn’t across the street from a Carquest Auto Parts. He works in the space with just a handful of accomplished scientists and collaborates with a consortium of 50 researchers and medical doctors around the world. Given what he’s hoping to accomplish there, some folks approach him and ask why he didn’t get into biotech; he could make a fortune. He responds simply, “Because we don’t care about profits.” A little more than a decade ago, a study released by Rice University shared some unconventional results: For many people, science and religion aren’t mutually exclusive. Their relationship is often overlapping. “It’s very important to dispel the myth that people believe that religion and science either do or don’t conflict,” the authors of the report write. “Our study found that many people have much more nuanced views.” For people like Paul Cox, there doesn’t seem to be much of any conflict at all. He feels “unconstrained” by his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he says. “I feel complete license to ask any question or pursue any avenue of research.” The only thing required of him is to believe what is true, he says. And he sees truth all around him. Echoing a passage from the Book of Mormon, he reflects on the beauty of celestial bodies orbiting the sun and the complexity of terrestrial life. He recaps for me a recent Sunday School lesson he taught about Noah and what the prophet’s task reveals about the way God cares for his creations. “Children get this,” Cox says when I ask him if he’s optimistic about the future of the environment. “Walk into any classroom and they really understand we need to protect the plants and animals.” Over a recent Zoom call, Cox wants to make sure I have a chance to see the snow-capped mountains visible through the window in his Jackson home. He tilts his computer so I can take in the scene. The sun is setting and the peaks of Grand Teton National Park rise from the next ridge over. He doesn’t express how he’s feeling at the moment, but I have a guess: “blessed.”
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