Keeping our brain safe from neurodegeneration through better understanding of brain ageing mechanism

Elucidating neuronal ageing using a powerful worm model

To conduct his research, Dr. Konstantinos Palikaras is using a highly malleable genetic model organism, the worm Caenorhabditis elegans. Being one of the simplest organisms with a nervous system, the short-lived transparent nematode is well-suited to study neuronal mechanisms related to age. Combining this powerful model organism with state of the art imaging technologies, the researcher and his team will be able to monitor mitochondrial activity in vivo – in a living organism –, and decipher the molecular mechanisms at play throughout the course of their lives. Once the molecular processes are dissected, Dr. Konstantinos Palikaras plans to screen and test already approved drugs to find compounds capable of regulating mitophagy. "We will investigate how these compounds affect neuronal function and cell death. The outcome of our research will potentially lead to identification of novel targets for the pharmaceutical industry to develop new drugs", the researcher explains.

With the world's population ageing, degenerative diseases have become a high priority topic for society. Understanding the mechanisms of brain ageing is absolutely crucial to envision new and innovative strategies to improve end-of-life care, find novel therapeutic approaches for degenerative diseases and decrease mortality. In this sense, Dr. Konstantinos Palikaras' project will significantly contribute to unravelling the cellular and molecular basis of age-related brain diseases, a form of disorder for which additional insight is highly needed.