The role of cellular mechanical stress in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders

• Forschungsstelle: SBFI
• Projektnummer: 25.00346

Abstract (Englisch)

NEUROMECH aims to establish a new generation of skilled, entrepreneurial, and innovative scientific leaders that will integrate the currently isolated fields of mechanobiology and neurodegenerative diseases. Mechanobiology explores the effects of physical forces on cell physiology. Evidence indicates that key mechanisms of neurodegeneration – cytoskeletal alterations, protein aggregation, protein phase transitions, DNA damage accumulation, and metabolic alterations – can be a consequence and cause of mechanical alterations. Mechanobiology may therefore be a unifying process in a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases, which have rarely been approached from the mechanobiology prospective. NEUROMECH will bridge this gap and address the need for disease modifying therapies focusing on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. NEUROMECH is an international and synergistic network of key scientific experts in mechanobiology and neurodegenerative diseases. Its ambitious research program ranges from atomic force microscopy to in vivo investigations using magnetic resonance imaging. The consortium includes industrial partners and a top European business school to provide training on managerial and strategic skills. These tools will allow Doctoral Candidates to fully understand and navigate both the complex landscape of neurodegenerative diseases research and the value chain of the very different organizations operating in this domain. Overall, NEUROMECH will provide Doctoral Candidates with multidisciplinary, intersectoral training that will enhance their career perspectives in academic and non-academic sectors.