Objective
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a severe neurodegenerative disease affecting more than 800000 people in Europe. Aggregation of the brain protein alpha-synuclein (aS) and its deposition into intracellular inclusions is a crucial event in the pathway leading to the onset of this tremendous disease. This process is triggered by alterations of the delicate homeostasis between production, aggregation and degradation of aS. aS aggregates are toxic to neurons and have been shown to impair proteasome, the cellular machinery which degrades misfolded/deleterious proteins. Little is known about the interplay between aS and proteasome. This lack of information currently represents one of the major limits to the development of new therapies for treatment of PD. The aim of this project is to carry out an unprecedented characterization of the interaction between aS and human proteasome and to investigate the effect that proteasome has on aS aggregation. By coupling computer predictions with cutting edge experimental methodologies such as NMR and single molecule measurements, we will characterize the regions of aS responsible for interacting with proteasome and the aggregated species responsible for impairment of proteasomal activity. Furthermore, the ability of proteasome to revert/inhibit aggregation of aS will be assessed studying aS aggregation in the presence of proteasome. The outcome of this research will provide missing building blocks to reach a complete knowledge of PD causes and will lead to the identification of new targets for molecular pharmacology, contributing to the development of new therapies for PD. The work will be undertaken in Prof. Dobson’s group, at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Cambridge (UK), one of the top research Institutes in Europe. The possibility to join this group and to master innovative techniques complementary to his background will allow the researcher to grow as a mature scientist able to perform multidisciplinary research.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology parkinson
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IEF
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.