Neurological diseases are on the rise – and as societies age, they affect an ever-increasing number of people, not only in Europe, but worldwide.;xNLx;;xNLx;The Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy) investigates how complex neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and multiple sclerosis develop.;xNLx;;xNLx;www.synergy-munich.de
In his ERC project, Kerschensteiner plans to use state-of-the-art in vivo microscopy to determine how the structure and function of neural circuits are disrupted by FAD, and then hopes to identify the effector molecules that initiate the process of axonal degeneration.
The first paper with a SyNergy affiliation (published in EMBO Journal) - and a true collaborative work with several members of the cluster (Kremmer, Dormann, Haass). Additionally, Christian Haass took the photo of the current EMBO issue.
The Cluster officially starts. Research projects begin and administratives structures will be set-up.
With Prof. Martin Kerschensteiner, LMU Munich succeeded - with support of the SyNergy Excellence Cluster - to retain a widely recognized leader in neuroimmunological research Prof. Kerschensteiner now co-directs the Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology at LMU together with Prof. Reinhard Hohlfeld. Kerschensteiner's research, which among other is supported by a Consolidator Grant of the European Research Council, focuses on the mechanisms by which neurons are damaged in neuroinflammatory conditions, and how the innate immune system contributes to such damage. The Kerschensteiner lab utilizes state-of-the-art in vivo imaging technology, neuromorphological analysis and a range of multiple sclerosis animal models.
Eibsee Meeting 2012 “Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration”
Thomas Misgeld (Technische Universität München) has been awarded the Alzheimer's Research Prize of the Frankfurt-based Hans und Ilse Breuer Stiftung.
SyNergy supported the promotion of Prof. Jochen Herms to the Chair of Translational Brain Research at DZNE and LMU. Prof. Herms is a neuropathologist and an internationally renown researcher in the field of pathomechanistic studies of neurodegeneration. He has pioneered the use in vivo two-photon imaging to study the dynamics that underlie structural and functional deficits in animal models of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
TUM-IAS Carl von Linde Senior Fellow Prof. Arthur Konnerth of the Friedrich-Schiedel Endowed Chair of Neuroscience has received a grant worth 2.4 million Euros. He will analyze memory and learning disorders in Alzheimer’s sufferers.
Max Planck researchers (MPI Biochemistry and Neurobiology) receive 13.9 million Euros in funding for research in neurodegenerative diseases. The ERC Synergy Grant is the most highly endowed research grant of the European Union.
SyNergy-Coordinator Professor Christian Haass has received an Advanced Investigator Grant, worth up to 2.5 million Euros, from the European Research Council (ERC) with the project “Identification and modulation of pathogenic Amyloid β-peptide species”.
