Alzheimer's disease.
We are working on neuroinflammation associated with Alzheimer's disease and we have identified a novel biomarker for clinical trials. We also focus on possible targets for disease-modifying agents, also targeting beta amyloid. TransMed Research offers cell culture models (SN56 cholinergic, SH-SY5Y differentiated, PC12, primary neurons from cerebral cortex and hippocampus and neural stem cells also from transgenic animals), transgenic mouse model (Tg2576, 3xTg), stereotaxic lesion models (192-IgG saporine ivc, Ab42 it) and is ready for any available Alzheimer in vitro and lab animal model.
Multiple sclerosis.
We are working on mechanisms of remvelination failure and neuroprotection, to improve recovery and prevent chronic neurodegeneration. We also study gender effects, vulnerability and disease progression. Likewise, we test treatments to decrease neuroinflammation, improve remyelination, prevent neurodegeneration, based on drugs, diet and physical therapies. Efficacy is established by clinical course, neurophysiology, morphology and molecular biology.
Parkinson's disease.
We are assessing the role of receptor heteromers, in particular adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) or dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs) in Parkinson's’s disease. We test, in the rat striatum or in cultured striatal neurons, whether acute treatment with agonists or antagonists targeting adenosine A2ARs, D2Rs and/or their receptor heteromers, induces heterocomplexes formation with tyrosine kinase receptors (RTKs), culminating in RTK transactivation and trophic effects. In the event, if our assumptions turn out to be valid, receptor heteromers may become a new guiding principle to understand molecular pathological processes of Parkinson disease. One application of such a result would be that we, together with industrial partners and using molecular modeling, can generate new chemical entities for treatment/prevention of Parkinson's disease that specifically target receptor heteromers, especially the receptor interface, the first one likely being the A2AR/D2R heteromer.
Ataxia, Down syndrome and other rare neurological diseases.
Most rare diseases include neurological symptoms and many rare diseases are primary neurological diseases. TransMed Research offers facilities for housing new transgenic colonies; functional, anatomical and molecular phenotype characterization and testing for new therapies. Special emphasis is dedicated to ataxia, both as a disease and a symptom of other diseases, in the attempt to delay the onset and attenuate the clinical progression; and to Down syndrome, in the attempt to prevent dementia pathology onset.
Chronic pain.
Pain is not just a physiological symptom in acute conditions, but also a devastating disease when persisting after the cause of cessation. TransMed Research can develop chronic pain models (chronic joint inflammation, neuropathic pain, diabetic neuropathy), test treatments' efficacy in freely moving animals (pain threshold to thermal and mechanic stimuli, allodynia), investigate the anatomical, neurochemical and molecular plasticity of pain pathways.
Vascular brain lesions.
Acute stroke is a major cause of neurological sequelae, including motor and sensory deficit, cognitive impairment and mood disorders. TransMed Research can develop acute and chronic models of vascular lesion (Middle cerebral artery ligation and internal carotid occlusion), test treatments' efficacy (motor, sensory and cognitive performance) and investigate the anatomical, neurochemical and molecular basis of neurodegenration, neuroprotection and neural repair.
Traumatic lesions of the nervous system.
Experimental mechanic and chemical lesions of the nervous system can well mimic human traumatic lesions. Examples of this are the peripheral nerve axotomy, the spinal cord injury and brain chemical lesions. TransMed Research is routinely working with gold-standard models, and the study design is based on clinical controlled studies principles (well-defined endpoints; power analysis for sample size calculation).
Psychiatric disorders.
A great effort is in progress to develop and validate animal models for phychiatric disorders, to test new treatments. TransMed Research is routinely working with gold-standard models for anxiety and depression, can develop novel models for other conditions and acquire transgenic models. All behavioral facilities include specific tests for psychiatric disorders.
Neuroendocrine disorders and gender medicine.
TransMed Research has a long-lasting expertise in investigating both the neuroendocrine axes and the impact of hormones on the nervous tissue, in terms of physiological and pathological processes. Thyroid hormone, glucocorticoids and sexual hormones can in fact influence brain performance, ageing and vulnerability to diseases. Moreover, recent research into environmental endocrine disruptors is part of TransMed Research activities.
