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Molecular Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease

Research group
01.01.2022 -
Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
Institute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
Information People

Leaders

Research Goals:
• To identify novel risk gene variants associated with AD and to elucidate their effects on processes relevant for pathogenesis of AD. Risk variant correlations with established biomarker levels in the brain, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid samples of AD patients are applied.
• To characterize the functional role of AD-related risk genes, pathways, and co-morbidities in AD pathogenesis using in vitro and in vivo disease models. The focus in these models is set to the factors that affect early synaptic dysfunction, function of glial cells as well as ß-amyloid and tau pathology.

Scientific and Societal Impact of Research:
It is expected that the novel mechanistic insights and biomarker potential related to molecular targets, which contribute to the synaptic dysfunction in the early pathogenesis of AD will be discovered. This allows the development of novel intervention approaches aimed at slowing down the progression of AD as well as other neurodegenerative diseases involving similar mechanisms. It is also likely that potential AD-related early biomarker targets will be identified, which can be later evaluated in the early diagnosis and disease progression of AD.

Funding:
Academy of Finland, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, EADB-JPND, PANA H2020, Neurocenter Finland, UEF Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, GenomMed-MSCA COFUND

Cooperation

  • Rudolph E. Tanzi

    MGH/Harvard Medical School, USA

  • Jean-Charles Lambert

    ISERM, France

  • Henrik Zetterberg

    University of Gothenburg, Sweden

  • Ian Pike

    Proteome Science Ltd, UK

  • Juha Rinne

    University of Turku, Finland

  • Annakaisa Haapasalo

    UEF

  • Asla Pitkänen

    UEF

  • Jussi Pihlajamäki

    UEF

  • Heikki Tanila

    UEF

  • Ville Leinonen

    UEF

  • Hilkka Soininen

    UEF

  • Christian Haass

    DZNE, Germany

  • Stefan Lichtenthaler

    DZNE, Germany

  • Jari Koistinaho

    University of Helsinki

  • Seppo Meri

    University of Helsinki

  • Ville Leinonen

    KYS

  • Tarja Malm

    UEF

  • Miia Kivipelto

    Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Leaders

Senior Researchers

Doctoral Researchers

Other group members

  • Luukas Leppänen
  • Anni Kolehmainen
  • Roosa-Maria Willman