Neuroscience,Immunology, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Mutiple Sclerosis

Central nervous system (CNS) diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer (dementia) and Parkinson's disease, represent an enormous burden economically as well as emotionally for patients and families. Recent resesarch findings suggest that neuroinflammation is a key process contributing to the etiology and/or progression of these neurodegenerative diseases, with numerous immune cytokines expressed in the CNS lesions of patients. It is well documented that many immune molecules not only regulate immune responses but also perform a distinct set of CNS specific functions within the CNS compartment such as neuron repair. Thus better understanding of the roles of immune molecues in both the CNS and the immune system is essential to identify effective therapeutic strategies for CNS diseases.This PhD student project proposes to investigate the expression and function of novel and important molecules in the CNS under normal and diseased conditions with the aim of developing new immunotherapies. The data from this study will provide novel findings on the complex pathophysiological role of immune molecules in CNS disease development, which ultimately may lead to identifying novel therapeutic strategies for patients.The student will receive excellent training programme designed for PhD students in SIPBS in: data handling and statistical interpretation, information and database searching, research skills in data presentation and scientific writing.

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