Waste clearance in the brain: Pathophysiology in Alzheimer’s disease and novel treatment strategies
The brain is metabolically a highly active organ and requires an efficient system to remove the resulting waste, while failures in the clearance can cause Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The mechanisms which regulate waste clearance are not completely understood.
Project information
Project duration
-
Project funder
Biocenter Oulu
Project coordinator
University of Oulu
Contact information
Project leader
- Professor
- ProfessorVesa Kiviniemi
Project description
In this project we investigate roles of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and vascular pulsations in the brain clearance and test potential treatments to enhance clearance functionality. We use biochemical, cell biological, clinical imaging technologies and genetic mouse models. Work is done in the Faculty of Medicine, in the Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, in the University of Oulu Hospital and Biocenter Oulu. We expect breakthroughs in understanding the mechanisms for metabolic waste removal from neuronal tissues, the pathobiology of AD, the roles of ECM and vascular pulsations in these processes and development of novel treatments for neurodegenerative brain diseases.