Research
Our research aims to provide a better understanding of the different cerebral pathologies underlying age-associated neurodegeneration, potentially aiding more accurate patient diagnosis during life, as well as the identification of novel targets for treatment.
Typically, the main forms of neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by the deposition of distinct protein aggregates, e.g. amyloid-beta and tau in Alzheimer's disease, and alpha-synuclein in Lewy body disease. However, multiple pathologies are frequently found in the brains of aged individuals. We therefore use advanced neuropathological methods, such as automated quantification of pathological protein loads, to disentangle cerebral multimorbidity.
In order to provide a more mechanistic insight into the causes and consequences of cerebral multimorbidity, our neuropathological approach is complemented by other methods, e.g. biochemistry, and we have strong collaborations with leading basic science researchers in the field.
By taking a multi-disciplinary approach we hope to translate fundamental scientific knowledge into medical practice by further stratifying patient cohorts for future clinical trials, and ultimately identifying novel targets for diagnostics and therapeutic intervention.
Since our findings need to be related to clinical findings gathered during a patient’s life, we naturally work very closely together with clinicians, in particular Old Age Psychiatrists and Neurologists.
Links to our current projects, for both scientific and lay audiences, can be found in the left-hand column.