Our group want to understand how neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia, and multiple systems atrophy develop, progress, and elicit their many symptoms.
We centre our studies on how the protein α-synuclein contributes to these processes because the spread of α-synuclein aggregate-pathology in the tissue plays a central role for these diseases. This is investigated in studies of α-synuclein aggregates in vitro, in cell models, cultures brain slices, live animals and human tissue and involves development of new tools and models.
Our aims are: 1) Decipher how cells regulate their pools of α-synuclein species because elevated levels represents a risk factor for disease with projects both at the regulation of α-synuclein transcription and the catabolic pathways for normal and abnormal α-synuclein species. 2) Understand how different folding strains of α-synuclein aggregates develop and cells respond to such aggregated α-synuclein species with respect to cytotoxic and protective mechanisms that can be targeted by therapy. 3) Understand how cells suffering from development of intracellular α-synuclein aggregates affects their surrounding tissue and connected neurons contributing to spreading of pathology and development of neurological/psychiatric symptoms.
Currently specific projects focuses on i) α-synucleins role in calcium regulation with a focus on calcium pumps in the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane, ii) signalling pathways regulating transcription of α-synuclein and degradation of its native and aggregated species, iii) characterization of oligomeric and fibrillar α-synuclein aggregates, iv) development and application of proximity ligation assays to uncover novel α-synuclein pathology in human brain tissue, v) in vivo mouse studies focussing on modelling and mechanisms involved in disease progression and how they can be inhibited pharmacologically.
The Jensen group currently has projects available for Master and PhD students. Please contact Group Leader Poul Henning Jensen directly, if interested.
