Research Projects

Health scientific discovery and innovation are expected to quickly move forward under the so called “fourth paradigm of science”, which relies on unifying the traditionally separated and heterogeneous high-performance computing and big data analytics environments. Under this paradigm, the DeepHealth project will provide HPC computing power at the...

The aim of the study is to understand more about genetic FTD, particularly in those who have mutations in the progranulin (GRN), microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) and chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) genes.

The main aim of DISTINCT will develop a premier quality multi-disciplinary, multi-professional and intersectorial education and training research framework for Europe aimed at improving technology and care for people with dementia and their carers, and to use coherent themes an.d interrelated ESRs within DISTINCT to provide the evidence to show how...

This project aims to help people with dementia engage in social contexts to improve psychosocial wellbeing. People who are affected by Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias often face cognitive, behavioural and psychosocial difficulties, including impairment and degeneration of memory and of perceptions of identity. In a social context, this can...

The goal of BATCure is to advance the development of new therapeutic options for a group of rare lysosomal diseases - neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL) or Batten disease. There are > thousand affected across Europe, with a combined incidence of c.1:100 000. The NCLs are devastating and debilitating genetic disorders that mainly affect children...

In this work, I propose the use of a nano/microfluidic system to detect biomarkers relevant to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The use of this system could give earlier and more accurate diagnoses, as well as provide the opportunity for therapeutic interventions and effective disease monitoring. Prior to the diagnosis of dementia and even before the...

Neurodegenerative disorders such as, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and chronic stress create a major economic burden to society and a substantial reduction in quality of life for patients and families. The development of neuroregenerative therapies is notoriously difficult and...

A striking challenge in diagnosis and therapy of neurodegenerative diseases is the design of drugs capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a tightly regulated barrier that prevents the passage of drugs from the blood to the brain. In vitro cellular BBB models are available, but they mimic only healthy conditions without taking into...

DORIAN GRAY project investigates the link between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in the ageing population. Its goal is to uncover underlying mechanisms to promote healthy, independent, and active living while reducing disease burden. Aligned with EU-Horizon Europe’s Strategic Plan on NCDs prevention, the project...

The behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a common cause of early-onset dementia that presents with changes in behavior and personality. It is often misdiagnosed and mistaken for a psychiatric disorder, such as depression or bipolar disorder. Unlike with Alzheimer’s disease, we still lack reliable tests that enable a diagnosis...

Neurodegenerative diseases are triggered by protein aggregation in the CNS, but developing therapies has been challenging. Since key disease mechanisms change during disease progression, halting further neuron loss has not been achieved and may not even improve the symptoms and survival. Causal therapy is most realistic for monogenic disease...

As the use of nanoparticles becomes more prevalent, it is clear that human exposure will inevitably increase. Considering the rapidly ageing European population and the resulting increase in the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, there is an urgent need to address the risk presented by nanoparticles towards neurodegenerative diseases. It is...