Project description DEENESFRITPL A new diagnostic tool for Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by the misfolding and aggregation of α-synuclein into Lewy bodies. Understanding how the oligomers formed from this process cause cellular toxicity and disease is paramount to determining the molecular origins of PD. To address this issue, the EU-funded SUPD project will combine spectroscopy and fluorescent technologies to study α-synuclein oligomers in the cerebrospinal fluid of PD patients and healthy individuals. The generated method of measuring α-synuclein oligomer size and structural properties can serve as an early diagnostic tool for PD and may generate opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective 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. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesneurobiologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsmedical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologyparkinsonnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsspectroscopy Keywords Single-molecule methods Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Net EU contribution € 289 732,80 Address Trinity lane the old schools CB2 1TN Cambridge United Kingdom See on map Region East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Partners (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all Partner Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement. THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM United States Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address Linden drive 1220 vanhise hall 1860 53706 Madison wi See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 177 265,92
