Research subject Neurotoxicity

The main interest our research group is the study mechanisms for chemically induced acute, developmental neurotoxicity by using neuronal cell models. The usefulness of the cell models for risk assessment is evaluated by integrating in vitro data from the cell models with in vivo data from rat and clinical observations from human in predictions models.

Neurodegenerative diseases like Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s and polyglutamine diseases are characterized by the gradual loss of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). While these disorders are distinct in their clinical manifestations, they share pathological hallmarks like protein misfolding, aggregation and oxidative stress.

Alzheimer’s disease followed by dementia with Lewy bodes is the main cause of neurodegenerative dementia. The neuropathological hallmarks for these disorders are different, but still share many similarities. In our group we investigate biological mechanisms promoting/leading to neurodegenerative dementia.

The botulinum neurotoxins are the most toxic substances known. Despite this, their therapeutic properties are becoming increasingly evident. We study these toxins using a variety of methods, including X-ray crystallography, to understand their mechanism of action, thereby enabling the development of their therapeutic properties.