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Launch of MINDS Project: Tackling Neurodegenerative Diseases

At a press conference held to coincide with World Parkinson’s Day on 11 April, the MINDS (MItochondria in Neurodegenerative DiseaseS) project was launched.

This three-year initiative is being funded by a EUR 150,000 grant from the and the research project is led by Professor Neville Vassallo, at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery’s Department of Physiology and Biochemistry.

Professor Vassallo leads a team dedicated to understanding neurodegenerative diseases, which include Parkinson’s disease (PD); the second most common neurodegenerative disorder; and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), an aggressive variant of Parkinson’s characterised by severe cognitive decline.

With approximately 1 million people affected by PD across Europe, and roughly 3,000 cases in Malta alone, the need for intervention is pressing.

The MINDS project will explore the root causes of the neurodegenerative process in PD and related dementia. The core of the research lies in studying the process whereby rogue brain proteins stick together in a sort of “molecular velcro effect”, to form toxic clumps (amyloid) that gradually destroy nerve cells. The team will explore at the single-cell level how mitochondria, vital cellular structures which provide the necessary energy to support brain activity, are targeted and damaged by these amyloid clumps. By identifying the exact mechanisms of mitochondrial failure, the MINDS project aims to bridge a fundamental gap in our understanding of neurodegeneration.

Ultimately, better mechanistic insights into the pathological processes of neurodegeneration can pave the way for new therapeutic strategies to treat patients. For instance, Prof. Vassallo’s laboratory has already contributed to research on the small-molecule  anle138b, a first-in-class anti-aggregator molecule licensed by the German biotech company MODAG GmbH and currently undergoing human clinical trials for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

The MINDS project is also being supported by , a local Voluntary Organisation dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with Parkinson’s through movement classes and supporting caregivers.

(Photo by Geoffrey Zarb Adami, DOI)