Principal Investigators

    J.Pahnke, C.Pietrzik, D.Frenkel, M.Lalowski, H.Biverstål

    Institution

    Multiple

    Contact information of lead PI

    Country

    Norway|Germany|Israel|Finland|Sweden

    Title of project or programme

    PROP-AD: Propagation behaviour of peripheral amyloid-? towards brain structures: effects of the blood-brain barrier

    Source of funding information

    JPND-JPcofuND

    Total sum awarded (Euro)

    € 1,746,751

    Start date of award

    01/01/2016

    Total duration of award in years

    3.0

    The project/programme is most relevant to:

    Alzheimer's disease & other dementias

    Keywords

    Research Abstract

    Alzheimer’s disease is a disease in which specific peptides, so-called beta-amyloids, accumulate in the brain, leading to the destruction of neurons and the resulting clinical functional effects, e.g. memory and orientation problems.

    Discussions are ongoing as to whether or not Alzheimer’s disease may be transmissible between individuals and could therefore have implications with regard to heath security issues that are similar to those of prion diseases. These considerations were raised from findings in mouse experiments in which peripheral injections of amyliodo- genic material from mice led to the presence of immunopositive material in the brains of injected animals.
    Researchers regarded these findings as proof of transmissibility, as seen in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. However, there are a number of concerns, both from the scientific community and the public, about whether such con- clusions really can be drawn from these experiments.

    The project aims to use amyloid as it is found in patients and transgenic, so-called Alzheimer’s mice, and label it with mass-isotope labelling which does not disturb chemical and conformational characteristics. We plan to use new mass-spectrometry methods to determine the route of the delivery of peripherally administered Alzheimer’s amyloid to the brain. We also want to see whether specific changes at the blood-brain barrier with regard to receptors and transport molecules could modify the entrance into the brain, if detectable at all.

    Our objective is to resolve some of the issues that unlink Alzheimer’s disease from transmissible, infectious prion diseases

    Lay Summary

    Further information available at:

Types: Investments > €500k, JPND Projects
Member States: Finland, Germany, Israel, JPND, Norway, Sweden
Diseases: Alzheimer's disease & other dementias
Years: 2016
Database Categories: N/A
Database Tags: N/A

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