La Fundación
Trabajamos para vencer esta enfermedad y conseguir un futuro en el que el envejecimiento esté asociado a experiencias positivas.
We promote excellent translational or clinical research projects on Alzheimer's or other age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante
Outlining Microglial morphology for Early diaGnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (OMEGA).
Inflammation is believed to play a fundamental role in Alzheimer, possibly preceding other clinical manifestations of the disease like the formation of beta-amyloid plaques. Being able to measure inflammation in vivo in Alzheimer’s disease can improve its detection, by allowing earlier diagnosis and its management, and by assessing the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatments.
The main objective of this project is to apply a new technology to look at the state of activation of the immune system in brain scans in the Alfa study. Furthermore, it also aims at revealing more information from previous brain scans of the study by augmenting image resolution with artificial intelligence. The data collected will expand the impact of Alfa by facilitating the development of diagnosis in the preclinical phases of Alzheimer, and provide new information for the discovery of new treatments.
Fundación Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Neurológicas (CIEN)
GenOmics and Digital Neuropathological Phenotyping of Iberian Brains (GADIR).
While Alzheimer’s disease stands as the most recognized form of dementia, there exist other conditions that present comparable symptoms but distinct underlying pathological characteristics. The aim of this study is to better understand the genetic causes associated to each of these brain pathologies, and to develop advanced tools for early classification and diagnosis.
In order to do so, the goal of GADIR is to establish the largest Iberian (Spanish and Portuguese) database of dementia neuropathological cases, marked by a fully updated and standardized neuropathological classification alongside comprehensive genomic data. By doing so, it intends to delve further into the genetic architecture underpinning these pathological features and to refine existing risk assessment tools for more accurate diagnoses. This is a collaborative project together with Victoria Fernández (Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona. Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades).
Universitat de Barcelona
Enhancing microglial immunometabolic phenotype in Alzheimer’s Disease by targeting human CD300f immune receptor.
Aging is a multifactorial process leading to age-related frailty and disability and constitutes the main risk factor for late onset Alzheimer’s disease. Emerging evidence suggests that the nervous system immune cells called microglia participate in many aging related processes, and part of this evidence arises from genetic studies, where they found that most of risk genes for late onset Alzheimer’s Disease are related to functions executed by microglia.
Researchers involved in the project hypothesize that immunoreceptor CD300f contributes to establishing a neuroprotective microglial phenotype during aging and age-related conditions. To explore this hypothesis, the project will evaluate the effect of human CD300f in two clinically relevant mouse models and will correlate its function with the disease progression by following soluble CD300f in human cerebrospinal fluid. This is a collaborative project together with Michael Heneka (University of Luxembourg).
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante
Molecular basis of sleep modulation of Alzheimer’s disease resilience.
There is an apparent discordance between Alzheimer’s disease pathologies and disease progression; that is, the existence of high-pathology non-demented individuals. Why these individuals do not develop the disease, a concept referred to as Alzheimer’s disease resilience, is not well understood, although it has been associated with environmental factors such as sleep hygiene.
This project aims to identify, characterize, and causally determine the molecular underpinnings of sleep modulation of Alzheimer’s disease resilience. To do so, the team will use a combination of mouse models, human data and state-of-the-art techniques, in order to pinpoint potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the disease. A better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of this resilience could be of paramount importance to improve current therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease.
Fundación CITA-Alzhéimer Fundazioa
Are epigenomic changes in the Alzheimer’s disease continuum modifiable? A discovery, validation, and interventional study.
Epigenetics studies the mechanisms that regulate gene expression and can help to better understand the disease and allow to develop new treatments. Different epigenetic changes can be analysed in blood. This study aims to identify epigenetic changes related to biological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive status in participants of the CITA-Alzheimer GAP study with positive Alzheimer’s biomarkers who are cognitively normal (presymptomatic Alzheimer) or show mild cognitive impairment.
Results obtained from the CITA-Alzheimer GAP study will be biologically validated in two other studies also in Spain (SPIN cohort of Sant Pau and the Alfa+ cohort of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation).
Furthermore, the study will investigate how epigenetic changes relate to risk factors for dementia and whether they can be changed by a non-pharmacological intervention in the longitudinal CITA GO-ON intervention trial. This is a collaborative project together with Alberto Lleó Bisa (Fundació Institut de Recerca de l’Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau) and Maite Mendioroz Iriarte (Fundación Miguel Servet-Navarrabiomed).