Four projects involving Polish research teams have qualified for funding under Understanding the Mechanisms for Non-Pharmacological Interventions, a call organised by the JPND network. Two of these are coordinated by Polish principal investigators.
This year, international consortia submitted 92 proposals focused on research into the biological mechanisms behind non-pharmacological interventions in various neurodegenerative disorders. The JPND network selected 14 projects aimed at developing personalised, holistic treatment approaches to such conditions. All four projects involving Polish research teams were featured among the top five highest rated proposals on the international ranking list and will receive a total of nearly 5.2 million zlotys in funding.
DC4MND: Wielowymiarowa charakterystyka działania przezrdzeniowej polaryzacji prądem stałym w chorobach neuronu ruchowego/Multidimensional mechanistic investigations of trans spinal direct current stimulation in motor neuron disease. Principal investigator: Dr Marcin Bączyk. Host institution: Eugeniusz Piasecki University of Physical Education in Poznań. The project will be carried out in cooperation with partners from Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and Latvia.
The project is focused on the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with the neuromodulation technique of trans spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS), which has recently been introduced as a novel way to halt the degeneration of neurons responsible for skeletal muscle activation. The results of the project will be used to create more effective ALS treatment plans with the use of tsDSC.
TREMENDOS: Rola mikrogleju w pozytywnym wpływie wzbogaconego środowiska w chorobach neurodegeneracyjnych/The role of microglia in the effects of environmental enrichment in neurodegenerative disorders. Principal investigator: Dr Ali Jawaid. Host institution: Marceli Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences. The project will be carried out in cooperation with partners from Switzerland and Austria.
The TREMENDOS project will use a brain stimulation strategy known as environmental enrichment to test ways to boost the natural ability of cerebral immune cells to remove toxic plaque. The project may pave the way for new and more effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and similar brain conditions.
EPI-3E: Rozpoznanie płciowo-, wiekowo- i komórkowo-specyficznych mechanizmów epigenetycznych i skojarzonych nieinwazyjnych biomarkerów dla nie-farmakologicznych interwencji w chorobach Alzheimera i Huntingtona/Defining (sex and age) cell-specific epigenetic mechanisms underlying Environmental Enrichment/Exercise as non-pharmacological intervention for Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease and related potential non-invasive biomarkers. Principal investigator: Anne-Laurence Boutillier, University of Strasbourg, France. Polish team coordinator: Dr hab. Bartosz Zbigniew Wilczyński. Host institution: University of Warsaw. The project will be carried out in cooperation with partners from Germany, Spain, France and Hungary.
The purpose of the project is to study the mechanisms responsible for the way in which environmental enrichment and aerobic exercise improve the condition of patients with neurodegenerative disorders and test a hypothesis that the key role in the process is played by epigenetic changes in brain cells. The project will also produce computer models of regulatory and epigenetic processes underway in two brain areas affected by the diseases in question.
NEURODIET: Mechanizmy molekularne terapeutycznych podejść żywieniowych w neurodegeneracji/Molecular Mechanisms of Dietary Intervention on Neurodegeneration. Principal investigator: Thorsten Schmidt, Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, Germany. Polish team coordinator: Dr hab. Maciej Figiel. Host institution: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences. The project will be carried out in cooperation with partners from Germany, Portugal and Turkey.
Within the framework of the project, experienced researchers specialised in neurodegenerative diseases will join forces with a dietary expert in order to provide a detailed description of the molecular events triggered by dietary intervention in neurological patients. The study will focus on spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, also known as Machado-Joseph disease (SCA3/MJD), as a model disease with a well-understood aetiology. The data will be combined with special bioinformatic analysis techniques to determine the dietary intervention mechanisms at play not only in SCA3, but in neurodegenerative disorders in general.
The projects will start in the first quarter of 2023.
Detailed call results can be found online on the website of the JPND network.