n total, twenty talented researchers received an Off Road grant from ZonMw to explore their bold, out-of-the-box ideas in biomedical science and healthcare, including Tim Moors. This grant allows Moors to test an innovative hypothesis about the formation of Lewy Bodies and its relevance in Parkinson’s disease for the upcoming 1,5 years.
Transforming the rigid perspective on Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease
Parkinson’s disease is a common neurological disease with currently no cure available. In this disease, brain cells form inclusions (‘Lewy bodies’) containing the protein alpha-synuclein. An influential hypothesis has been that alpha-synuclein forms rigid aggregates that are packaged into Lewy bodies. However, the current models do not recapitulate spontaneous Lewy body formation by cells, hampering the development of effective therapies.
Moors will therefore explore an alternative hypothesis by examining the relationship between cellular transport and the phase separation of proteins, such as alpha-synuclein, inspired by recent insights into ALS and Huntington’s disease. In this project, he will establish new animal-free cell models to analyze these pathways, for instance using highly advanced microscopy techniques.
Read more about the ZonMw Off Road funding.
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