Prof. Dr. Michael Heneka
Director
Neuroinflammation
c/0 Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Gerontopsychiatry
Venusberg-Campus 1
53175 Bonn, Germany
Venusberg-Campus 1
53175 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 228 287 13091
Email: michael.heneka(at)dzne.de
Research Focus
Neuroinflammation is a common hallmark in e.g. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is characterized by the accumulation of extracellular amyloid-beta (Aβ) in amyloid plaques and intracellular tau in neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs).
Activation of microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, seems to be involved in the development and progression of these pathologies in AD but also plays a role in other neurodegenerative diseases. To date, the underlying mechanisms in the transition of an initially protective to a chronic, harmful neuroinflammatory response are unknown.
Our basic laboratory research aims at understanding molecular mechanisms of inflammatory regulation in a variety of neurodegenerative disease by using for example novel preclinical mouse models and state-of-the-art techniques like two-photon imaging, transcriptome analysis and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Activation of microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, seems to be involved in the development and progression of these pathologies in AD but also plays a role in other neurodegenerative diseases. To date, the underlying mechanisms in the transition of an initially protective to a chronic, harmful neuroinflammatory response are unknown.
Our basic laboratory research aims at understanding molecular mechanisms of inflammatory regulation in a variety of neurodegenerative disease by using for example novel preclinical mouse models and state-of-the-art techniques like two-photon imaging, transcriptome analysis and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).