microRNA as novel therapeutic targets and disease biomarkers in Alzheimer's Disease, Frontotemporal dementia and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (NEURO-MIR)
Jochen Prehn (Ireland), Andre Fischer (Germany), Pierre Lau (Flanders), Jose Lucas (Spain)
NEURO-MIR focuses on the role of microRNA (miRNA) in neurodegeneration. miRNA are small (~22 nucleotide), non-coding RNA that control the expression of multiple genes. Data from members of the NEURO-MIR consortium has shown that deregulation of miRNA contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and motoneuron disorders. NEURO-MIR aims to explore the full potential of miRNAs as key contributors to disease progression and as therapeutic targets and biomarkers. NEURO-MIR also realises that the complexity of miRNA biology can only be tackled through bioinformatics and computational modelling approaches, and will develop a computational platform that will allow to approach the role of miRNA in neurodegeneration on a ‘holistic’, systems level.
