On the trail of Parkinson's: Millions in funding for UMG research team
Parkinson's disease is characterized by the gradual death of nerve cells in the brain, which can lead to slowed movements, tremors, stiff muscles, and problems with balance and coordination. This disease affects currently more than 10 million patients worldwide according to the umbrella organization Parkinson´s Europe. The molecular mechanisms underlying the disease remain unclear, and thus a cure is not currently in sight.
To address this knowledge gap, an international team including researchers from the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) has received a grant of approximately 7.7 million euros from the “Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s” (ASAP) research initiative for the next three years. The UMG will receive nearly 1.8 million euros of the grant and is the only German partner in the project. In addition to UMG, researchers from the University of Dundee in Scotland (UK), Harvard University (USA), and the University of California, Los Angeles (USA) are participating in the research project. In the long term, these findings could pave the way for new therapeutic approaches.
Research focuses on the Cell's Energy Producers
The researchers focus on mitochondria, the cells’ primary energy producers. Mitochondria are particularly sensitive to cellular stress, which can lead to their dysfunction, neurodegeneration and ultimately Parkinson’s disease. Using brain tissue from Parkinson's patients, as well as mouse models and stem cell-derived human neurons, the researchers will conduct a detailed investigation of signaling pathways whose dysfunction affects the degradation of damaged mitochondria. Based on previous findings, this impaired degradation of mitochondria could play a key role in the onset and progression of Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, various triggers for mitochondrial damage will be analyzed, including genetic defects that prevent mitochondrial DNA replication or impair transport of proteins into the mitochondria.
The research of the UMG team, consisting of Prof. Dr. Christine Stadelmann-Nessler and Prof. Dr. Rubén Fernández-Busnadiego from the Department of Neuropathology as well as Prof. Dr. Brit Mollenhauer from the Department of Neurology and the Paracelsus Elena Clinic Kassel, focuses especially on the molecular and structural characterization of mitochondria within the brain of Parkinson’s patients. The project employs modern technologies such as spatial transcriptomics. This method works like a “molecular GPS”— researchers can see which genes are “active” in specific cells and how these cells are distributed within the tissue and influence one another. Cryo-electron tomography is also used to examine the structure of mitochondria at near-atomic resolution. In this imaging technique, tissue samples are flash-frozen in their original state at temperatures below -150 degrees Celsius. This enables three-dimensional visualization of the mitochondria and other cellular components, as the samples can be photographed from various views.
“The aim of our study is to unravel the molecular causes of mitochondrial dysfunction,” says Prof. Fernández-Busnadiego, head of the “Structural Cell Biology” research group at the Department of Neuropathology at UMG. “We hope to provide molecular and structural bases for future therapeutic approaches to treating Parkinson’s disease.”
About the “Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s” (ASAP) Research Initiative
“Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s” (ASAP) is a global research initiative that aims to emphasize collaboration, resource generation and data sharing to accelerate transformative discoveries in Parkinson’s disease research.
Scientific expert:
Prof. Dr. Rubén Fernández-Busnadiego, Deparmtent of Neuropathology, Phone +49 551 / 39-60745, ruben.fernandezbusnadiego(at)med.uni-goettingen.de
Press contact:
University Medical Center Göttingen, University of Göttingen
Head of Corporate Communications
Lena Bösch
Von-Siebold-Str. 3, 37075 Göttingen
Phone +49 551 / 39-61020
Fax +49 551 / 39-61023
presse.medizin(at)med.uni-goettingen.de
www.umg.eu