Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/P008224/1
Title:	PET Markers of Oligomeric Misfolded Proteins in Neurodegenerative Disorders
Principal Investigator:	Aigbirhio, Professor FI
Other Investigators:	Hunter, Professor CA Spillantini, Professor M Klenerman, Professor D
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre
Organisation:	University of Cambridge
Scheme:	Standard Research
Starts:	01 January 2017	Ends:	31 December 2020	Value (£):	1,041,821
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Chemical Biology Chemical Synthetic Methodology
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 21 Jul 2016 EPSRC Physical Sciences Chemistry - July 2016 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
A common feature of all dementias e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases are the presence of specific proteins in the brain, which due to having abnormal structures, accumulate into increasingly large assemblies and fibrils. These structures, which are present in many regions of the brain, are considered to be toxic and damage brain cells, leading to the symptoms of dementia. Using the clinical brain imaging technique of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) combined with injecting into patients chemical probes which selectively bind to these assembles we can now visualize the presence and distribution of some of these toxic proteins. However, with the present range of these chemical probes we can only image the late stages of these assemblies when most of the brain damage has occurred and so too late for effective drugs therapies. Therefore our aim is to develop next generation chemical probes that can image the earlier stages and structures of these abnormal proteins when they are considered most toxic and hence cause the most damage to brains cells. This would then create a powerful means for earlier more accurate diagnosis of dementia and a means of evaluating the new types of drugs that are been developed that target these assemblies. To discover and develop these new chemical probes, will apply chemical screening methods, medicinal chemistry, radiochemistry and biological assessments. The chemical probes with appropriate properties arising from this project we would then take forward with additional funding for human imaging studies.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.cam.ac.uk