Research Projects

"The intraneuronal somatodendritic ""missorting"" and aggregation of Tau are pathological hallmarks in neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) like and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and are thought to be drivers of neurotoxicity. That NDDs manifesting with Tau ""missorting"" present with (neuro)metabolic abnormalities, often prior to pathology onset, is...

Many elderly people suffer from one or another Mild Cognitive Impairment (PwMCI). Among many is forgetfulness which may or may not progress to dementia. They are faced with doubt, worry and diminishing self-worth while often being afraid to look for help. We will develop RESILIEN-T to act as a coach to improve the PwMCI self-management in different...

MacroMolecules (e.g Proteins, DNA) carry out most of the functions of the living and these functions come from their 3D-structure. For instance, foldopathy like Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease are caused by misfolding of proteins. Modifying this structure non-invasively is consequently a tremendous challenge for both microbiology research and...

Despite being viewed as a simple transport conduit, the oviduct can determine a successful pregnancy and has a life-long impact on our health and wellbeing. Also called the fallopian tube, our understanding of tubal function remains limited, owing to the ethical limitations of human studies and the poor translations of animal studies to people. The...

Preventing dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD) is a global priority. Previous single-intervention failures stress the critical need for a new multimodal preventive approach in these complex multifactorial conditions. The Brain Health Toolbox is designed to create a seamless continuum from accurate dementia prediction to effective prevention by i)...

Recent studies suggest that defective ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules and altered RNA processing cause neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, defective RNP granules only develop late in life, suggesting that young cells have mechanisms in place to prevent their...

The proposed project aims to investigate the contribution of thalamocortical projections to high cognitive functions such as speechprocessing, working memory and attention in sighted and unsighted populations. In the last decades, advances made in magneticresonance imaging (MRI) have shed light on the cortical regions subserving these processes...

The overall research objective of this project is to develop novel photoswitchable kinase inhibitors (PKIs), targeting on REarrange during Transfection (RET) for use in living cells and in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Controlling the action of kinases in a reversible way will have an exceptional potential for investigating signal transduction in...

Dementia is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that causes tremendous suffering for patients and their families. The disease’s relentless progression leads to a loss of all mental abilities, making patients completely dependent on constant care and supervision. Even though the disease is incurable, there are treatments available that can...

The overall aim of the planned research is to test whether pro-aging and pro-youthful blood factors are associated with cognitive performance and neuroimaging outcomes in normal ageing and in individuals at risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and whether this association is modified by lifestyle habits (e.g. exercise or diet) or genetic factors...

Epidemiological studies have shown that leisure-time physical activity at midlife is associated with a decreased risk of dementia later in life. Although initial studies indicate enhanced behavioural performance in dementia patients after three months of exercise, little is known about the effect of an extensive, controlled and regular exercise...

Loneliness, which can be defined as the negative mental states (e.g. sadness, despair) that people experience when they feel that they do not have enough relationships, or not the right kinds of relationships, is a widespread phenomenon in many societies. Even prior to the current pandemic, surveys from Europe and North-America reported that 20 to...