Research grant for Munich DZNE scientist

Dr. Sabina Tahirovic from the DZNE site in Munich received funding from the Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e. V. (AFI), at a ceremony in Wiesbaden on January 18^th, 2019. AFI awarded a grant of 120,000 euros. The award was presented by Prof. Thomas Arendt, Chairman of the AFI Scientific Advisory Board. In addition to Sabina Tahirovic, eleven other researchers were funded for their work in the field of Alzheimer's disease.

Tahirovic receives funding for her research project "Molecular signatures of therapeutically rejuvenated microglia". Typical for Alzheimer's disease are protein deposits of beta-amyloid. They accumulate in the brain and massively disrupt neuronal function Microglia cells are found in the vicinity of these beta-amyloid deposits, also known as plaques. They are part of the cellular immune system and only occur in the central nervous system (CNS). In their function as scavenger cells, they clean the brain from foreign bodies and cell fragments, but fail in clearing the plaques. Studies show that the stimulation of microglial cells actually boosts their performance. Sabina Tahirovic's goal is to gain a better understanding of this mechanism. 

The funds will be used to finance a PhD position in Sabina Tahirovic's project for three years. On the other hand, a smaller part of the money will be used for laboratory materials such as antibodies.