Integrative structural biology of pathological tau protein, an appealing therapeutic target for Alzheimer´s disease modifying drugs
Project description
Tau protein conformation as a therapeutic target in Alzheimer’s disease
Tau proteins are abundant in neurons of the central nervous system and are expressed at very low levels in astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, providing the stabilisation of microtubules. Tau pathologies, including Alzheimer’s disease, are associated with conformational changes during oligomerisation and assembly resulting in cellular toxicity. The conformationally altered tau could be a promising molecular target for disease-modifying therapy. The EU-funded InterTAU project’s main goal is to study the detailed structure of tau proteins and their variants in monomeric, oligomeric and fibrillar states relevant to diseases. The InterTAU international consortium includes a clinical-stage biotech company pursuing the development of anti-tau immunotherapy as well as academic partners with suitable methodologies for the functional and structural characterisation of the tau modification pathway by nuclear magnetic resonance, cryo-electron microscopy and cellular assays.
Objectives
We are aiming to:
- establish a strong network of academic-industrial partners with cutting-edge, unique proprietary technologies and knowledge
- achieve scientific advancement in understanding the pathways of tau in neurodegeneration
- adopt a unique panel of techniques and considering important interaction partners of pathologic tau
- foster novel tools for neurodegeneration diagnostics and therapy
Project coordinator:
• CEITEC MU (Czech Republic)
Project partners:
• Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovakia) • Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis (Latvia)
• Royal College of Surgeons (Ireland) • University of Pittsburgh (USA) • National University of Cuyo (Argentina) • GENETON s.r.o. (Slovakia)
• BioVendor – Laboratorní medicína (Czech Republic) • DATAMEDRIX GMBH (Austria) • Sanata Dharma University (Indonesia)
Former project partners:
• Oregon State University (USA) • University Health Network (Canada) • AXON Neurosciences (Slovakia)
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