Research Projects

The overall aim is to further the understanding of the BBB in health and disease states towards the development of innovative brain delivery systems, especially for biopharmaceuticals (e.g., peptides, antibodies, etc.) and the identification of novel disease drug targets (Alzheimer’s Disease, MS, metabolic disease).

The related key deliverables...

In this project we seek to develop new smart imaging molecular tools for combating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and prion diseases. Emphasis is put on translational applied research for the development and validation of novel properly functionalized luminescent conjugated polymers (LCP) that via modern imaging technology...

Dementia researchers are increasingly focusing their efforts on finding ways to prevent the onset of dementia symptoms in the first place, and for this they need to work with people who are still in the very earliest stages of the disease. The MOPEAD project aims to identify and test different models for engaging with this important group and...

Generation of toxic oligomers during aggregation of amyloid beta peptide (Abeta42) into amyloid fibrils is a central event in Alzheimer disease. Understanding the aggregation process is therefore one important step towards therapy and diagnosis of the disease. We propose a physical chemistry approach with the goal of finding the molecular...

My recent discoveries show that mosaic loss of chromosome Y (LOY) in peripheral blood is associated with increased risks of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These conditions are responsible for >50% of morbidity/mortality in aging men. More than 15% of men older than 70 show some degree of LOY and these men survive on average only half as long...

Dementia is currently diagnosed largely based on cognitive decline, while pathology starts years before symptom onset. To make progress in the development of effective drugs for dementia, there is an urgent need for biomarkers to enable precision health: for early and specific diagnosis and objective monitoring of disease progression. With its...

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and dementia is rapidly increasing worldwide and is therefore a major public health concern. Carbohydrate intake (40-80%) represents the main source of energy in most populations and the quality more than the quantity has a large effect on health. Recently, a...

Non-invasive imaging techniques allow visualization of the dynamics and biochemical activity of pathological processes in real-time. By having proper molecular tools, a complete picture of pathologic conditions can be acquired at resolutions from the molecular level to the full body scale. Hence, smart multimodal imaging tools can be utilized for a...

The search for effective therapies and early detection strategies for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), the major cause of dementia in Europe, is imperative. It is known that β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide plays a central role in neurodegeneration. In AD brain, Aβ is released in a soluble form that progressively becomes insoluble forming aggregates; extracellular...

The aim of this project is to develop novel nano-bioanalytical methodologies to explore a molecular paradigm for the initiation of short-term memory (STM) based on exocytosis events. Despite the vital role in neural disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, the molecular mechanisms of the initial step in STM formation is still mostly a mystery...

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can rapidly reorganize its functional domains and inter-organelle communication sites in response to cellular demands. ER-mitochondria communication is essential for normal cell physiology, as it conveys lipid exchange, mitochondrial calcium uptake, among other vital processes for mitochondrial function. In neurons...

Medical diagnosis is currently undergoing a major revolution due to the fast discovery of molecular biomarkers, and the development of multimodal “metabiomarker” signatures. Progress, however, is hindered by low abundance of many biomarkers of interest in body fluids, in absolute concentration and with regard to other biomolecules. The aim of the...