Summary
Parkinson’s disease is the most common movement disorder caused by neurodegeneration, for which there is no cure, no way of modifying the disease and no clinically accepted diagnostic tool. In the brain, the intrinsically disordered monomeric protein α-synuclein misfolds, aggregates and accumulates to form proteinaceous inclusions termed Lewy bodies. This process forms ‘oligomers’, intermediates in the aggregation pathway that are strongly implicated in the cellular toxicity that causes the disease. Oligomers are exceedingly challenging to study with traditional biophysical techniques because of their low abundance and variability in size, structure and stability. My research proposal aims to develop a new method capable of measuring the size and structural properties of single oligomers in human cerebral spinal fluid. By employing technologies in the field of cavity-enhanced spectroscopy and combining these with existing tools in single-molecule fluorescence I will investigate how the properties of oligomers in cerebral spinal fluid differ between healthy and Parkinson’s disease patients. In order to determine the molecular origins of Parkinson’s disease we need a comprehensive understanding of these pathogenic species. Achieving this goal will enable us to develop an early diagnostic tool which in turn will generate opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
Unfold all
/
Fold all
More information & hyperlinks
| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/886216 |
| Start date: | 02-11-2020 |
| End date: | 23-01-2025 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | 289 732,80 Euro - 289 732,00 Euro |
Cordis data
Original description
Parkinson’s disease is the most common movement disorder caused by neurodegeneration, for which there is no cure, no way of modifying the disease and no clinically accepted diagnostic tool. In the brain, the intrinsically disordered monomeric protein α-synuclein misfolds, aggregates and accumulates to form proteinaceous inclusions termed Lewy bodies. This process forms ‘oligomers’, intermediates in the aggregation pathway that are strongly implicated in the cellular toxicity that causes the disease. Oligomers are exceedingly challenging to study with traditional biophysical techniques because of their low abundance and variability in size, structure and stability. My research proposal aims to develop a new method capable of measuring the size and structural properties of single oligomers in human cerebral spinal fluid. By employing technologies in the field of cavity-enhanced spectroscopy and combining these with existing tools in single-molecule fluorescence I will investigate how the properties of oligomers in cerebral spinal fluid differ between healthy and Parkinson’s disease patients. In order to determine the molecular origins of Parkinson’s disease we need a comprehensive understanding of these pathogenic species. Achieving this goal will enable us to develop an early diagnostic tool which in turn will generate opportunities for therapeutic intervention.Status
TERMINATEDCall topic
MSCA-IF-2019Update Date
28-04-2024
Images
No images available.
Geographical location(s)
