Award details

BI European Studentship: Variations in axon survival within the human population

Reference	BBS/E/B/0000L762
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Michael Philip Coleman
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Babraham Institute
Department	Babraham Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	68,540
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/10/2010
End date	30/09/2013
Duration	36 months

Abstract

In this project we will study an enzyme whose activity appears to be harmful for axons, at least in the absence of the next enzyme in the pathway. When an axon in a nerve is injured it undergoes a characteristic degeneration process known as ‘Wallerian degeneration’ and there is evidence that similar mechanisms account for axon loss in some neurodegenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and glaucoma. Starting from a mutant strain of mice in which the process of Wallerian degeneration is delayed by tenfold, we first identified the protein that confers this neuroprotective property on these mice, and now we have identified a second enzyme in the same pathway, Nampt, whose inhibition seems to protect axons. This indicates a potential for intervening in axonal disorders pharmacologically but to do this we need to understand much more about the biology of Nampt in axons. This project will investigate how Nampt is delivered to axons and what regulates its stability and removal from axons. There is significant pharmaceutical industry interest in Nampt and this project will be carried out in collaboration with Takeda (Cambridge) Ltd.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Ageing, Neuroscience and Behaviour, Pharmaceuticals
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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