The Henekalab studies the interaction between the innate and adaptive immunity and the central nervous system. Inflammatory changes represent a common hallmark in neurodegenerative disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Immune mechanisms are involved in the development and progression of these neurodegenerative disorders and can execute neuroprotective as well as detrimental effects.
Our basic laboratory research aims at understanding molecular mechanisms of inflammatory regulation in a variety of neurodegenerative disease by using novel preclinical mouse models and state-of-the-art techniques such as two-photon in vivo laser scanning microscopy, optogenetics, transcriptome analysis and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The current clinical research program is focussing on several aspects of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases with the goal of developing new biomarkers and medical intervention programs.