Coordinator: Cecília Reis Alves dos Santos
Vice-Coordinator: Maria da Assunção Vaz Patto
Group description:
The Neurologic and Neurovascular Disorders (NND) research group at CICS-UBI is a multidisciplinary team of researchers which includes clinicians, biologists, biochemists, immunologists, neurophysiologists and pharmacists. This group investigates brain disorders such as Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and brain tumors as well as the crosstalk between the immunological, vascular and nervous system.
General objective:
The work developed is focused on the disclosure of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neurogenic and neuroprotective pathways with the final aim of identifying biomarkers, new therapeutic targets, or developing novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these disorders.
Specific objectives:
1) Disclose mechanisms of chemosensing in brain barriers and tumor-blood barrier, and their regulation, and identify components of tumour microenvironment that can be used as drug targets or therapeutic agents.
2) Identification of metabolomic biomarkers of stroke risk and of ischaemic stroke comorbidities related with hypertension.
3) Study the role of immune cells in Multiple Sclerosis and cognitive decline
4) Identify and evaluate neurophysiological markers of normal ageing and neurodegenerative disorders.
5) Assess the therapeutic potential of neural and mesenchymal stem cells, microRNAs, and antioxidant formulations for the delay and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, depression, and ischemia.