Research Projects

Neurological disorders, ranging from epilepsy, autism, dementias, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases affect 1B people worldwide. Currently, Europe has the greatest percentage of population aged 65 or over (25%) and these numbers are expected to drastically grow (3% per year) increasing the population affected by brain disorders. Many neurological...

Neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases constitute a major health burden, and in spite of several decades of intensive research, the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases are still poorly understood, and effective drug treatments are generally lacking. Alterations in protein synthesis have been implicated in several of these...

Neurodegenerative disorders, represented mostly by Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), are characterised by progressive neuronal impairment and death. In spite of the brain's known capacity for regeneration, lost neurons generally cannot be replaced. Therefore, drugs aimed at inhibiting neurodegenerative processes are likely to...

The WHO has identified neurological disorders as a major burden and emerging challenge to global healthcare systems. These range from causes such as stroke and dementia, to injuries and viral infections. The prevalence of strokes and dementia are strongly linked to increasing age, for example stroke risk more than doubles every decade after 55...

With increased life expectancy, there has been a critical growth in the portion of the population that suffers from age-related cognitive decline and dementia. Attempts are therefore being made to find ways to slow brain-aging processes; successful therapies would have a significant impact on the quality of life of individuals, and decrease...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder which affects 47 million patients worldwide. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to sporadic-AD remain unknown and preventive treatment is not yet available. Lately, the ubiquitin-proteasome system has been implicated in AD. Dr. Merbl’s laboratory recently...

The increase in average lifespan across the world has been accompanied by an unprecedented upsurge in the occurrence of dementia with high socio-economic costs. The development of personal health systems provides a means of dealing with such problems in a meaningful and sustainable manner, enabling persons with dementia to maintain independence and...

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of proteins and protein fragments in the brain, progressive neuronal loss, inflammation, and the gradual and inevitable decline of memory and cognition. Decline of memory and cognition is coupled with binding of β amyloid peptides (Aβ) and their derived diffusible...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting millions of people worldwide and therefore it is fundamental to understand its underlying mechanisms. Although the neuropathologies involved in AD are well-described, the effect of those pathologies on neuronal function are poorly understood. Using a transgenic mouse...

The EU population is increasingly exposed to new physical and chemical agents in the environment, some of which may be detrimental to public health. Of these, electromagnetic fields (EMF) are one of the most ubiquitous, with new EMF technologies and novel applications being actively developed and commercialised. To address pertinent questions on...

Neuronal circuits in mammalian brain act predominantly via excitatory synapses on dendritic spines. Formation of new spines in adult brain constitutes the structural basis of neuronal plasticity. The underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown but depend essentially on kinase-dependent signalling pathways. Final formation of synapses on...

Project RISK-UPDATE will support the reintegration of Dr Talya Miron-Shatz, after four years spent as post-doctoral research collaborator with Nobel Laureate Prof. Daniel Kahneman at Princeton University, in the USA. Dr Miron-Shatz’s new host institution is Ono Academic College, Israel, which has agreed to set up a new research centre to facilitate...