Research Projects

IMI’s Call 8 is geared to develop knowledge frameworks for ‘druggable mechanisms’ for two domains of pathophysiology. In response to this call, we propose (I) the development of a generic AETIONOMY pipeline to capture and infer over mechanistic knowledge of pathophysiology, and  (II) the focused application of this pipeline to derive clinically...

With an increasingly growing population in Europe, cognitive impairments as well as heart diseases are a major social and health issue. 1.2 million people in Europe are affected by Parkinson's disease (PD) while Alzheimer’s disease remains one of the biggest global public health challenges our generation is facing, while Cardiovascular disease...

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...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the Western world and to date no cure nor any preventive strategy are available for this neurodegenerative disorder. Bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing from fecal samples revealed a remarkable shift in the gut microbiota of conventionally-raised AD mice compared to healthy, wild-type mice...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects over 35 million people worldwide and yet there are currently no medicines which slow down the progress of the disease. The ADAPTED project aims to boost the development of new medicines by investigating an area of AD research which has previously received little attention – the APOE gene. The APOE gene is a well...

Beta-amyloid (β-amyloid) deposition is considered to be a necessary - but not sufficient - step on the path towards Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Depiction of brain β-amyloid in vivo can support an early diagnosis, and even provide an opportunity for consider secondary prevention of AD. Currently, however, the value of β-amyloid PET remains elusive...

Dementia is caused by a range of illnesses and disorders that damage the brain either directly or indirectly. With the rise of the ageing population in the EU, dementia is becoming a serious problem. Digital health interventions have the potential to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of palliative care. Palliative care is an area where...

More than 1 billion people worldwide suffer from compromised mental health due to a brain disorder, such as depression, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or dementia. While already accounting for 19% of all years lived with disability, the relative share of these disorders is further increasing. Currently, due to the complexity of the...

The emergence of a new era in neuromodulation is led by the intriguing potential of functional materials to replace or control neural activity. The ability to simultaneously analyse neural activity offers the potential to translate signals into a feedback loop for intuitive therapy or even to replace lost neurological functions. However...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common age-related neurodegerative disorder, and one of the most devastating diagnoses that patients and their families can receive. Currently ~10 % of over 65 year old have AD, and the direct and indirect cost of its care is estimated to be >100 billion $ in the US alone and in the UK ~ €22M, and therefore...

DEMTEST has established a large European and global collaboration between national surveillance units and dementia research centres, facilitating cooperation between neurologists, neuropathologists and neuroscientists. We work on standardisation of tests that are currently available and harmonise their use between centers worldwide. We define...