Boosting resilience to age-related neurodegeneration
Ageing is the major risk factor for neurodegeneration. Using a worm model for neurodegenerative diseases, scientists from European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA) of the UMCG in Groningen discovered that blocking tryptophan metabolism protects against ageing and the toxicity of neurodegenerative-disease proteins. The enzymes and metabolites involved in tryptophan degradation in worms are nearly identical to those in humans. Researchers from ERIBA and the MSD Discovery Centre in London will therefore combine their expertise in worm biology and human pharmacology to elucidate mechanisms and develop screening tools to explore possible interventions for human application.
Medical solutions to treat age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, are urgently needed. The number of people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases is increasing rapidly, due to ageing of the world population. By 2050, the number of people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases is expected to increase to over 100 million cases worldwide. Apart from the emotional burden on patients and their families, these numbers will severely impact our society both socially and economically. According to the World Alzheimer report of 2015, the cost of dementia will exceed 2 trillion dollars in 2030.
To stop neurodegeneration, this project aims to develop preventive interventions that boost resilience to neurodegeneration and cure people before they get ill. To develop such treatments, innovative tools and approaches will be needed that allow for the detection of age-related biological changes that precede neurodegeneration. Here they use the tiny, short-lived, and transparent worm C.elegans, to control and visualise changes in tryptophan metabolism in living and ageing animals. They will use these models to map early changes, elucidate modifying mechanisms and screen for modifying compounds to stop the development of neurodegeneration. This project will deliver screening tools and mechanisms for the development of preventive interventions in humans to treat age-related neurodegenerative diseases before they arise.
