Principal Investigators

    Fon, Edward A

    Institution

    McGill University

    Contact information of lead PI

    Country

    Canada

    Title of project or programme

    Role of PINK1 Processing in Mitochondrial Function and Parkinson's Disease

    Source of funding information

    CIHR

    Total sum awarded (Euro)

    € 513,204

    Start date of award

    01/10/2012

    Total duration of award in years

    5.0

    The project/programme is most relevant to:

    Parkinson's disease & PD-related disorders

    Keywords

    Research Abstract

    Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects over 100,000 people in Canada and the numbers will only grow as the population ages. PD involves the death of dopamine neurons in the midbrain, which leads to devastating motor and functional impairment. Although treatment is available, its effectiveness diminishes over the long term. Hope for a more definitive treatment lies in basic biomedical research. Already, important advances have been made using molecular and genetic approaches. Not very long ago, genetics was not thought to be important in PD. However, in the past 15 years, several genes have been identified which cause familial forms of PD. My laboratory has a longstanding interest in understanding the normal function of these PD genes and how defects in the genes lead to PD. A convergence of work over the past few years has led to the discovery that mitochondria, the cell’s energy power plant, are a focal point of the degenerative process in PD. The aim of this application is to decipher how one of these PD genes, PINK1 impacts mitochondrial function normally and what goes wrong in disease.

    Lay Summary

    Further information available at:

Types: Investments > €500k
Member States: Canada
Diseases: Parkinson's disease & PD-related disorders
Years: 2016
Database Categories: N/A
Database Tags: N/A

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