"In the human brain, nerve cells - so-called neurons - care for the transmission of electrical signals. They form the functional component responsible for sensations, stimuli and memories. In the presence of dementia, there is an adsorption of proteins outside the neurons, which then leads to the death of the neuronal cells. How to prevent the death of neurons is still the subject of scientific research today.
In a recent transnational research project funded by the EU Joint Program on Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND), which is funded in Germany by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), researchers are now trying to address this question.
While project partners in Italy, Great Britain, Belgium and the USA investigate the exact processes in the brain, the MPI-P explores methods to transport drugs. The overcoming of a natural barrier in the body - the so-called blood-brain barrier - represents the main challenge. Drugs to be used in the brain must be able to pass this barrier first before acting in the brain...."
"...The partners involved in the project in Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the USA are examining the exact processes in the brain in parallel with the development of the transport system in Mainz. Here, so-called "exosomes" and "neurotrophic factors" are of major interest."
