This interdisciplinary centre at the University of Luxembourg now has 270 people working in 18 research groups. As Françoise Meisch, strategic advisor of the LCSB, explains, the focus of research is mainly on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
MiniAlz is the name of the new project at the research centre, which will be supported with 3.9 million euros over five years. The aim is to better understand the mechanisms of the disease, i.e. how the neurons and a specific type of immune cells in the brain interact in Alzheimer’s disease.
The disease is mostly diagnosed in people over 60, but it develops much earlier in the body, without being noticed or detected in hospital. Therefore, the LCSB is interested in developing approaches to intervene in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases before the onset of the disease.
Read more: Alzheimer’s drug data shows results but also risks
There are currently around 8,000 people living with dementia in Luxembourg. Among them, 60 to 70 percent are estimated to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease. The symptoms of dementia patients can include secretive forgetfulness, disorientation, loss of sense of time or speech disorders.
An interview with LCSB director Michael Heneka in German:
