FreezeAlz | Theoretical prediction of spectral biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease enabled by highly efficient and adaptable mutli-level response methods

Summary
Luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes are highly promising candidates for biomarkers for amyloid misfolds and thereby for early-stage detection of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease. The elucidation of the microscopic mechanism and design principles behind these biomarkers requires theoretical assistance. Finding suitable theoretical models that allow sufficiently accurate spectra calculations for such large, dynamic, and complex biomolecular systems is a highly challenging task: In practice, it is currently neither possible to include all possible factors, nor to rigorously test their importance for the actual simulation. There is, hence, a great need for efficient and adaptive theoretical models capable of incorporating the essential factors in spectra calculation of biomolecular systems sufficiently accurately.
In order to devise an efficient and adaptable methodology for assisting the interpretation of existing spectra and predicting
the performance of new candidates for biomarkers, we will combine the advantages of several state-of-the-art computational methods. More precisely, we will combine the so-called frozen density embedding scheme with linear scaling density functional theory techniques and incorporate additional polarization effects in a manner inspired by the polarizable embedding method. We will moreover devise efficient and pragmatically adaptable schemes to accurately capture vibrational coupling in these spectra. All these method developments will be done in close collaboration with groups conducting the actual experiments. In this way, a strong interdisciplinary research project will be established. Still, the formulation and implementation of the new methods will be as general as possible in order to devise flexible methods that can easily be adapted to assist the investigation of also other future scientific questions.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/745906
Start date: 01-07-2017
End date: 30-06-2019
Total budget - Public funding: 173 857,20 Euro - 173 857,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

Luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes are highly promising candidates for biomarkers for amyloid misfolds and thereby for early-stage detection of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease. The elucidation of the microscopic mechanism and design principles behind these biomarkers requires theoretical assistance. Finding suitable theoretical models that allow sufficiently accurate spectra calculations for such large, dynamic, and complex biomolecular systems is a highly challenging task: In practice, it is currently neither possible to include all possible factors, nor to rigorously test their importance for the actual simulation. There is, hence, a great need for efficient and adaptive theoretical models capable of incorporating the essential factors in spectra calculation of biomolecular systems sufficiently accurately.
In order to devise an efficient and adaptable methodology for assisting the interpretation of existing spectra and predicting
the performance of new candidates for biomarkers, we will combine the advantages of several state-of-the-art computational methods. More precisely, we will combine the so-called frozen density embedding scheme with linear scaling density functional theory techniques and incorporate additional polarization effects in a manner inspired by the polarizable embedding method. We will moreover devise efficient and pragmatically adaptable schemes to accurately capture vibrational coupling in these spectra. All these method developments will be done in close collaboration with groups conducting the actual experiments. In this way, a strong interdisciplinary research project will be established. Still, the formulation and implementation of the new methods will be as general as possible in order to devise flexible methods that can easily be adapted to assist the investigation of also other future scientific questions.

Status

CLOSED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2016

Update Date

28-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2016
MSCA-IF-2016