Research Projects

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the brain, display extensive heterogeneity, and contribute to a wide range of cellular processes in both homeostasis and disease. They play a major role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia and a major cause of mortality worldwide. Microglia closely interact with...

Microglia are immune cells that monitor our brain and degrade unhealthy neurons and excess synapses. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD) however, microglia excessively destroy synapses, marking them as enticing treatment targets. AD patients accumulate cortical Amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles, whilst losing neurons and synapses...

Severe neuronal disorders such as dementia affect more than 1 billion people globally and account for economic burden far exceeding that of cancer. Our only chance of treating dementia is improving our understanding of how brains function at diverse levels of complexity. This will only be possible through better technologies, which already reflects...

Background and rationale: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the main cause of dementia, with substantial socio-economic burdens. Due to the absence of a cure, understanding disease mechanisms and developing new therapies is crucial. Age-related systemic and brain inflammation contributes to cognitive decline. Inhibiting prostaglandin 2 (PGE2) - PGE2...

Worldwide due to population ageing there will be 75 million patients with Alzheimer's disease by 2030. Alzheimer's is a disease described by accelerated brain ageing which leads to decline in both memory and cognitive skills, thus affecting everyday activities of those suffering. On average over 60% of patients do not receive a diagnosis and...

Microvascular impairment is a hallmark of many of todays most burdening diseases, including forms of ischemic heart disease, stroke, and dementia. It is also the most promising candidate to explain the link between cardiovascular and brain disease (so-called heart-brain axis). However, only histology provides comprehensive assessment of the...

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...

The list of genes contributing to increased risk of developing Alzheimers Disease (AD) grows every year. To date, large case-control Genome-Wide Association Studies have found 98 genetic loci associated with late-onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD). However, apart from a small number of genes related to familial cases, it remains largely unknown the...

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a central redox cofactor and the limiting substrate of key metabolic enzymes. The constellation of cellular functions in which NAD+ is involved makes its availability critical for cell survival, and its depletion is a leading factor in a number of diseases in humans, ranging from rare inherited defects to...

Microfluidics have become a powerful tool in biotechnology and life sciences, whereas the nanofluidic regime remains widely unused in industry and the clinical environment. Especially protein misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, recently experience a growing demand for single-molecule detection capabilities...

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...

NanoNeuroOmics ambition is to bring together nanotechnology, proteomics and blood biomarker discovery at the emerging intersection of neurodegeneration and neurooncology. NanoNeuroOmics proposes a nanotechnology-based innovative solution for the integrative profiling of the blood and brain tissue proteomes to address two interconnected challenges...