The disease is thought to be caused by the accumulation of protein aggregates, amyloid-β and tau, leading to protein deposition in brain tissue. It is essential to understand the disease mechanisms and to identify mechanisms of pathogenesis that could serve as drug targets, but also to find biomarkers that could be used for diagnosis and to evaluate the efficacy of drug candidates.
Projects
The innate immune system in Alzheimer’s disease
In recent years, several genes have been identified as predisposing to Alzheimer's disease. They are mainly associated with innate immunity or lipid metabolism. One of them, TREM2, is a strong genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease but also for some other neurodegenerative diseases. The TREM2 receptor is expressed in microglia, the immune response cells of the brain, and is functionally linked to innate immunity and the clearance of amyloid-β aggregates by phagocytosis.
The project aims to
- Investigate the functions of TREM2 receptors in microglia/monocytes.
- Analyse the impact of TREM2-biology on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers as to better understand physiological functions in patients, and to explore the potential diagnostic use of such markers.
- Develop TREM2-targeted medical therapy.
