Co-operations

A shared new research building was constructed in Goettingen based on a co-operation agreement between the Georg-August University Göttingen/University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) and the Deutschen Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e. V. (DZNE: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases) in Bonn for the construction of a partner institute in Göttingen.

Housed in this building are the Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration (BIN) of the UMG and a branch of the DZNE.Göttingen was selected as location for the new DZNE research site because of its high competence in neurodegenerative disease research, the idea being the DZNE and UMG scientists combine their expertise in basic science research into Alzheimer’s disease, with modern imaging techniques providing a bridge between innovative molecules in animal models to the human disease, in order to implement causal therapeutic approaches in the treatment of patients with M. Alzheimer.

DZNE Göttingen

The DZNE site Göttingen, is a natural science institute for scientific research emphasising on neurodegenerative diseases. The main focus of scientific research is to understand the underlying mechanisms leading to neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer’s disease. Based on this, the DZNE site Göttingen, will expedite the development of biomarkers as well as therapeutic approaches for dementia.

One of the DZNE’s central aim is to analyze the influence of gene-environment interaction for sporadic neurodegenerative diseases in view of the fact that especially complex neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease are multifactorial and polygenetic. The etiology of such diseases is significantly influenced by environmental factors. Gene-environment interaction is key-regulated and mediated by epigenetic processes such as DNA-methylation, histone-modification and non-coding RNA, so the deregulation of epigenetic processes is decisively involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. This offers the potential of developing new therapeutic strategies.

This may lead to identification of new effective therapeutic strategies and therefore, DZNE site Göttingen, is segmented in four fields of research:

• Epigenics and Systems Medicine in Neurodegenerative Diseases
  Head: Prof. Dr. Andre Fischer (also speaker for the DZNE-G)
• Genomic Dynamics in Neurodegenerative Diseases
  Head: Dr. Farahnaz Sananbenesi
• Structural Biology in Dementia
  Head: Prof. Dr. Markus Zweckstetter