Research topics
Development of new therapeutic strategies in Parkinson's disease.
The main goal of the research group is to develop and improve the design of new therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease (PD).
It is well known that current treatment for Parkinson's disease are basically just symptomatics, and their effectiveness last for just a few years.
Development of neuroprotective strategies in in vivo and in vitro models of dopaminergic cell degeneration.
A first topic of research is focused on the study of the mechanisms involved in the degeneration/survival of the dopaminergic neurons. This is useful as a basis for the development of neuroprotective strategies against the progression of the dopaminergic cell death.
Development of methods for the propagation and differentiation of dopaminergic neurons from neural stem cells or neuronal progenitors for cell therapy in Parkinson's disease.
A second topic of research aim for develop cell therapy as a possible treatment of PD. In previous years we carried out diverse studies about the structural and morphological characteristics of the grafts of cell suspensions derived from primary fetal tissue. In recent times we have been working in the mechanisms of proliferation and differentiation of dopaminergic neurons in vitro, using floating neurospheres of neural stem cells or dopaminergic progenitors, and studying the possible factor involved in these events.
In a near future we are planning on continuing the development of the previously mentioned lines of research, with the incorporation of state of the art approaches such as the reprogramming technology.
Dopaminergic neurons in the monkey substantia nigra showing type 1 (AT1, red; E-H) and type 2 (AT2, red; I-L) angiotensin and prorenin (PRR, red; M-N) receptors at the cell surface as well as at the nuclear (blue) and cytoplasmatic level.
Methodology
- in vivo procedures
- Animal models
- 6-OHDA lesions
- MPTP treatment
- stereotaxy
- ovariectomy
- animal behaviour analysis
- Rotometer
- Rotarod
- Locomotor activity
- in vitro procedures
- primary culture of dopaminergic neurons
- culture of dopaminergic progenitors
- pluripotent cell culture
- isolated mitochondria studies
- sinaptosomal preparations
- subcellular fractionation
- genetic manipulation
- cellular reprogramming
- analytical procedures
- morphological analysis
- immunochemistry
- in situ hibridization
- confocal microscopy
- Laser microdissection
- stereological analysis
- biochemical analysis
- RT qPCR
- Spectrophotometry
- Mass spectrometry
- Western blot
- Radioimmunoassay (RIA)
