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Research in the Van Eldik lab aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which chronic activation of glia in the brain, especially astrocytes and microglia, leads to damage of the neurons and progressive neurodegeneration in diseases like Alzheimer's disease. The overall goal is to utilize knowledge of potentially "druggable" pathways to develop new therapeutics. The normal role of the glia is to cooperate with the neurons to keep the brain operating smoothly. When an injury or change in the brain occurs, the glia mount an inflammation response to fight off the insult and restore the brain to its proper functioning. But in neurodegenerative diseases, the glia are over-activated, producing a state called neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation can lead to nerve cell dysfunction or death, which is manifest as dementia. Although neuroinflammation appears to play a pivotal role in the development and progression of neurodegeneration, the molecular mechanisms underlying the process and approaches to downregulate theneuroinflammation have received little attention.


Projects in the Van Eldik lab are focused on:
  • elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of glial activation, and cross-talk between microglia and astrocytes

  • delineation of how chronic glial activation, with its aberrant regulation of key proteins and signaling pathways and the consequent dysregulation of normal glia-neuronal interactions, promotes neuronal cell damage

  • development of drug discovery and chemical biology strategies for intervention in this neuropathological cascade


Last Modified 05/29/2005
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