Periodic Reporting for period 3 - NEUMACS (Neuron-associated macrophages in the gut as novel target for the treatment of enteric neuropathies)
Período documentado: 2022-10-01 hasta 2024-03-31
In the coming years, we expect to identify the human NA-MF subpopulation in great detail and to uncover their role in enteric neurodegeneration. This will lead to the discovery of new pathways and targets involved in enteric neurodegeneration, both in our preclinical models and humans, which will be crucial for the development of novel treatments. Finally, we expect to obtain major novel insights in the cross-talk between enteric neurons and macrophages by studying these two cell populations while they are maturing and interacting in the co-culture system. These experiments will reveal which signaling molecules are used to interact with each other and affect each others function. Taking together, by the end of this project, we expect to have unraveled the role of NA-MF in enteric neurodegeneration and to have identified new targets to improve the clinical management of patients suffering from enteric neuropathies.