Alzheimer's disease research
Alzheimer's disease is a highly disabling neurodegenerative disease and the leading cause of dementia. It is characterized by the progressive formation of abnormal deposits of two proteins in the brain (beta-amyloid and tau). These abnormal proteins accumulate in the form of plaques between neurons (beta amyloid) and in tangles or knots within nerve cells (tau). This prevents the brain from functioning properly and can cause cognitive problems, memory problems, difficulty speaking or performing activities of daily living.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) usually appears after the age of 60. It is now known that the characteristic brain alterations of this disease begin before the first symptoms appear.
Although the causes of the disease are still unknown, there are associated risk factors such as age and family history. There are also other avoidable factors that could have an influence, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity or a sedentary lifestyle.
It is a disease that cannot be cured. It affects 3.5 million people in Europe, 400,000 of them in Spain, and its incidence is expected to double in the coming years due to the increase in life expectancy.
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We dream of curing Alzheimer's disease.
Some drugs palliate the symptoms, but treatments capable of curing or slowing the progression of the disease are still lacking.
We sought to study the pathophysiological basis of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease.
We do research to find new therapeutic targets and develop pharmacological or gene therapy treatments to slow or halt disease progression.
We work closely with researchers and clinicians to rapidly translate discoveries from the laboratory to the patient.
REFERENCES IN TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
Alzheimer's Disease Research Group
Reference team in preclinical research on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias with a multidisciplinary approach focused on the development of new effective therapies and new animal models to deepen the understanding of the disease.
It is part of the Neurosciences Program.