Research Projects

Amyloid fibrils form and precipitate in more than 50 incurable human diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. All proteins may be able to form amyloids, at least under certain circumstances. However, aggregation is actually rare as the process of amyloid formation is controlled by a high kinetic barrier: protein sequences have to...

Neurological disorders affect over 540 million individuals in Europe alone, yet effective treatments are limited, primarily due to the challenge of delivering therapeutic compounds across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB). This project aims to develop a novel, virus-inspired technology that utilizes...

iLoF is a digital health company pioneering a breakthrough AI-platform to accelerate the future of personalized drug discovery & development. Through advanced AI & photonics, we collect massive amounts of data to build a digital library of biomarkers & biological profiles, bringing together world-class physicists, biologists, & data scientists to...

With aging, the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases is increasing. Clinical manifestations of neurodegenerative disease often result in dementia, a group of symptoms including loss of memory and impaired cognitive functions that have serious consequences for the wellbeing of aging individuals and society. Dementia is a syndrome of many diseases...

The ABlina project aims to study how cell membrane lipid composition affects the formation and deposition of beta amyloid (Aβ) aggregates. To achieve this, Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations will be performed on membranes with varying lipid compositions, focusing on models that mimic senescent and Alzheimer's disease cells. The data generated will...

Parkinson’s disease is dominated by motor symptoms such as tremor, bradykinesia and postural instability. However, over 90% of all patients develop cognitive impairment including deterioration of learning, memory and decision making. Current treatments focus on motor symptoms and offer at best moderate improvement of cognitive functions...

Neurodegenerative disorders are one of the leading causes of disabilities and death in elderly populations worldwide. To this date, no established treatment can either prevent or slow down the progression of these diseases. Their occurrences and progression are strongly correlated with insoluble biological condensates composed of nucleic acids and...

Challenge. Caring for the increasing numbers of people across Europe with advanced dementia and palliative care needs who live in care homes is difficult and demanding. People with advanced dementia can be immobile, non-verbal and unable to take part in day-to-day activities. They can be unsettled or agitated, with low quality-of-life and elevated...

Neurodegenerative diseases are a ticking time-bomb for health care systems because they are care-intensive and will soon become much more wide-spread due to increased life expectancy. Their most common form is Alzheimer's disease (AD), in which the amyloid-ß (Aß) peptide aggregates to amyloid fibers that accumulate in plaques in the human brain. We...

The societal burden of brain disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease is enormous and is considered one of the worlds most important health challenges. They affect millions of people worldwide and the annual healthcare costs are high and are increasing with the aging population. There is an immediate need to...

Biological cells consist of a myriad of interacting biomolecules that collectively arrange in stable structures. For example, molecules undergo phase separation to form so-called biomolecular condensates. We now know that malfunctioning condensates can cause diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and cancer. Yet, we do not understand how...

The number of people with Alzheimer’s disorder (AD) and other dementia is expected to triple worldwide by 2050. To tackle the global burden of AD, the European Parliament acknowledges and points to the urgent need to develop interventions that can prevent or delay AD. The locus coeruleus (LC) in the brainstem plays a key role in determining late...