Prof. Amalia Dolga receives grant from Stichting Parkinson Fonds

Early this year, Prof. Amalia Dolga of the Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy ( GRIP ) has been awarded a research grant from Stichting Parkinson Fonds of EUR 250,000. In the awarded project, postdoc Angelica Sabogal Guaqueta , in collaboration with co-PI’s Prof. Arjan Kortholt ( GBB ) and Prof. Sabeth Verpoorte ( GRIP ) will investigate how miscommunication between neurons and microglia affect the pathology of Parkinson’s disease.

The team combines the expertise of the Dolga lab (iPSC differentiation into brain cells, including neurons and microglia, mitochondrial and LRRK2 biology), the Kortholt lab (LRRK2 biochemistry, tools and structure) and the Verpoorte lab (microfluidics for organ-on-a-chip) to characterize the role of LRRK2 mutations in differentiated microglia and neurons obtained from PD patients. Using linked microchambers in a microfluidic device, they will investigate whether the activity of LRRK2 could affect neuron-microglia communication.