1. Overview of Research Plans.

Numerous clinical trials have shown that neurons can be transplanted into the Parkinson’s diseased brain to replace the dopamine neurons that have died as a result of the disease process. However, to date, there is no established source of neurons that can be used for widespread application of this therapy. This project is investigating stem cells extracted from the bone marrow as a potential cell source for brain repair and/or protection.

BrainMatTrain focuses on a comprehensive understanding of Parkinson’s disease, from basics to translation, fully supported by eight full partners (four research institutions, two hospitals, two SMEs) and one partner organisation (SME specialist in device design). This European Training Network will educate and train 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) in functionalised biomaterials, materials science, functionalisation strategies, molecular biology, stem cell biology, in vitro model systems, in vivo neuroimaging, preclinical models and prototype design.

The aim is to evaluate the utility of a Connected Health model in supporting people with dementia and their carergivers in sustaining the patient at home. We propose that the CH model allows enhanced information- sharing between patient, carergiver and healthcare team, enabling streamlined clinical management, empowering the caregiver and enhancing the ability of the caregiver/patient dyad to cope.

Increased knowledge about the pre-clinical and early clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will be key in developing preventative strategies for the disease as well as development of therapeutic treatment strategies. In addition, this approach will contribute to the development of biomarkers for the early diagnosis of AD.