Molecular markers and therapeutic options in neurodegenerative disease
Dr. med. Frauke Neff (Principle Investigator)
Frauke Neff joined the Institute of Pathology in 2009. Before, she worked at the Research Group for Neurological Therapeutics of Prof. R. Dodel at the Philipps University Marburg in research against the consequences of neurodegenerative diseases. Prior to that she became consultant of neuropathology at the Institute of Pathology at the Technische Universität München.
Research Topics
Beside cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, the neurodegenerative diseases will become a mayor socioeconomic burden in western countries. Dr. Neff put her research emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases and here, especially the influence of inflammatory and immunologic aspects on the pathophysiology and progress are analyzed.
Recently by using conventional histological methods, immunohistochemistry and morphometry, a triple transgenic mouse model (Alzheimer’s disease knock in and inflammation knock out) had been characterized morphological, while the mediators of the inflammatory response had been detected via molecular methods (ELISA, Western Blot, 2D electrophoresis, real time PCR, PET-Blot). In addition, the effect of several inflammatory mediators on the development and progress of the characteristically protein deposits were analyzed. Furthermore, the presence of so called “autoantibodies” in serum of healthy people have been demonstrated as well as the property of these antibodies to bind to the characteristic protein deposits of Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. We also demonstrated that trial animals treated with these antibodies show a better outcome in behavioral tests.
Future prospects:
One project will focus on the molecules and signaltransduction pathways responsible for the neuronal cell death with emphasis on the inflammatory effects and mediators caused by the characteristic protein deposits and their precursors. This will be archived by using molecular and morphological methods (MALDI-massspectrometry, western blot, immunofluorescence etc.). In addition, the influence of these death mediators will be inhibited by biological and chemical agents. The experiments are going to be performed with cell cultures, tissue samples and mouse models.
Relevant techniques:
Immunohistochemistry, Immunofluorescence, Microdissection, Western Blot, PET-Blot, PCR, real time PCR, Cellculture.