CNS Disease Modeling Group

Research Interest

The CNS Disease Modelling group started its research path on 2006 lead by Dr. M Romero-Ramos. Since then, the group has focused its research on the neurodegenerative process in Parkinson’s disease and other alpha-synucleinopathies. Our main tools of work are animal models of the disease: from neurotoxin based models to transgenic models, both classic transgenic mice lines and adult transgenesis models by means of viral vectors. We are also currently using the fibril alpha-synuclein spreading model.

The team has focused during the last years in those possible events initiated as a consequence of the overexpression and or mishandling of the protein alpha-synuclein that contribute to the disease process. In addition, we have an interest on the processes occurring in the immune system during the neurodegenerative event and how both, local and peripheral immune cells, can modify the neuronal survival. For this we have been working for the last years with patients derived biosamples.

Our fundamental goal is to reveal new biomarkers and targets for disease modification that can be ultimately used to develop novel therapies for the patients.

Dr. Romero-Ramos is an Affiliated Researcher to the Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), the Danish node of the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine.

Our lab works under the umbrella of the NeuroCampus Aarhus.

Key-words in the lab

  • Alpha-synuclein
  • Early vs. late Parkinson’s disease
  • Dopaminergic vs. non dopaminergic neurodegeneration
  • Microglia, macrophages, T-cells
  • Neuroinflammation
  • Periphery-brain immune corsstalk
  • Neuroprotection
  • Immune-related Biomarkers

Techniques in the lab

  • Stereotactic Brain Surgery
  • Immunomodulation, vaccination, and cell transplantation
  • Motor-behavioural analyses of rodents
  • Histological analysis of brains
  • Sterological quantification of brain cells
  • Biochemical analysis of brain proteins
  • Cytometric analysis of cells