ID: 2024-1.2.2-ERA-NET-2024-00009 grant, “Spatial and temporal transcriptome and proteome analysis of alpha-synuclein pathology in Parkinson’s disease: Cell type-specific vulnerability and tolerance mechanisms” | Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology

The University of Debrecen’s project titled “Spatial and temporal transcriptome and proteome analysis of alpha-synuclein pathology in Parkinson’s disease: Cell type-specific vulnerability and tolerance mechanisms” (ID: 2024-1.2.2-ERA-NET-2024-00009) received funding of 81,240,270 HUF from the NKFIH ERA-NET COFUND program. The international 4DPD-Omics consortium applies single-cell and spatial omics technologies to investigate how alpha-synuclein pathology affects specific brain cell types, one of the key unresolved questions in Parkinson’s disease. The multidisciplinary team includes neurobiologists, bioinformaticians, biophysicists, and clinicians studying well-characterized mouse models and Braak-stage-classified human brain tissues.
Previous studies identified key alpha-synuclein-related cellular damage mechanisms such as mitochondrial dysfunction, defective autophagy, inflammation, and synaptic failure. This project focuses on cell type-specific characterization of these changes, enabling simultaneous detection of up to 50 biological markers in tens of thousands of cells within a single tissue section. The Debrecen group contributes by validating molecular interactors of alpha-synuclein, analyzing its intracellular dynamics, and characterizing chromatin-level changes using the Cellular Imaging Hungary Euro-BioImaging Node’s instrumentation.
The 4DPD-Omics project is expected to open new avenues in understanding neurodegenerative diseases at the molecular level, aid in earlier diagnosis, and more effectively treat Parkinson’s disease.
For more information, please contact Dr. György Vámosi or Prof. Gábor Szabó at vamosig@med.unideb.hu and szabog@med.unideb.hu.