Research Projects

Dysfunction of protein Tau is the main cause of dementia. Dementia associates with synaptic failure and sleep disturbances, but their connection remains elusive. In dementia, Tau becomes hyperphosphorylated (p-Tau) causing synaptic loss. Temperature fluctuations also associate with Tau phosphorylation, for example in hibernating animals...

Our project aims to address the need for improved informal care by training cohabitating spouse caregivers to implement music interventions that target behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, and the quality of life and wellbeing of people with dementia, and of family caregivers. Our international randomised controlled trial involving...

In the brain, the blood vasculature harbours a unique specification: the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), which restricts blood/brain exchanges to a select set of molecules. This particularity makes neurons blind to most peripheral signal. However, the peripheral organs and the brain have to communicate to maintain homeostasis and body functions such as...

Treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s syndrome, is one of the biggest challenges of nowadays medicine. The success of the curing strongly depends on our understanding of chemical processes involved in developing these diseases. From a chemical point of view, these diseases are determined by uncontrolled...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major societal challenge, impacting up to one third of the population over 85 years old. The European Commission and various international bodies have repeatedly fostered research initiatives to prevent the development or stem the progression of the disease. Several recent phase 3 clinical trials have failed to show...

ONCOVISION is a Spanish SME specialised in design, development, production and commercialisation of organ-dedicated PET systems. Our company submits the present business innovation project with the overall objectives of (1) marketing an innovative brain-dedicated PET system to early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other causes of...

Degenerative diseases of old age, including cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes, and chronic respiratory conditions, have emerged as the major causes of death in EU countries. Of special concern are neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, which have been described as the greatest unmet need facing modern medicine...

Europeans are the largest alcohol consumers. Policymakers and clinicians are currently perplexed on how to reduce alcohol harms in drinkers, due to contradictory guidelines: abstention is proposed as the healthiest option by many health advocates, stating that there is no safe level of alcohol intake; but most nonrandomized studies found lower all...

Olfactory neurons allow circumventing the blood-brain barrier making this route particularly interesting for the non-invasive intranasal treatment of brain diseases (Alzheimer’s Disease). Moreover, commensal nasal microbes present in the respiratory region, the major surface of the nasal cavity, are assumed to induce health-promoting effects via...

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most prevalent cognitive disorder and progressively leads to complete brain dysfunction and degeneration. The number of people living with Alzheimer’s worldwide is now estimated at 46M, with this figure set to almost double by 2030 and more than triple by 2050 due to population aging. Current methods for early...

FluiDx-AD aims to transform Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis and prepare the EU healthcare systems for the emergence of new AD therapies, with a 1st-in-class trio of In Vitro Diagnostics tests.FluiDx-AD tests detect a unique and proprietary suite of biomarkers in simple bodily fluids (saliva, plasma/blood), towards widespread, patient-empowering...

Approximately 4060% of the European population is at risk of developing hearing loss due to exposure to unsafe noise levels. The EDHI fellowship will develop a novel toolkit sensitive to the first signs of hearing loss appropriate for use as an early diagnostic. This objective will be achieved by (1) ideating innovative behavioural and...