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Research grants awarded for Parkinson Research at the Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam.
The Stichting Internationaal Parkinson Fonds (IPF) has granted three research projects for a total of 450k€ in which the Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences of the VUmc plays a central role. These projects will be performed in collaboration with partners both within and outside Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam.
The project of Benjamin Drukarch focuses on identifying biochemical links between protein misfolding in the endoplasmic reticulum and stimulation of inflammatory reactions during initiation and progression of Parkinson’s disease.
More information on the role of inflammation in Parkinson’s disease will come from the project of Anne-Marie van Dam which aims to identify brain region-specific microglial-derived factors in Parkinson patients that determine whether neuronal death, neuronal survival or even neurogenesis occur.
Finally, Wilma van de Berg will study the clinical relevance of the distribution of a-synuclein pathology in Parkinson’s disease brain and identify subgroups of patients that display differences in a-synuclein distribution patterns and concomitant pathology related to age of onset and/or progression rate.
Together, these projects will give a significant boost to Parkinson research at the Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, and will result in better understanding of the pathogenetic processes underlying this highly incapacitating disease.
