Objective
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor symptoms (MS). PD is also characterized by the largely understudied non-motor symptoms (NMS). Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are one of the most common NMS and appear up to ten years before MS’ insurgence, affecting patients’ quality of life and participating to healthcare costs. The GI tract has a pivotal role in regulating body’s physiology and pathology partly via the “brain-gut axis”, the communication route between the gut and the brain. Studying how the gut and the gut-brain axis influence GI NMS in PD is challenging in mammals due to the anatomical complexity and limited understanding of gut–brain communication. To overcome these limitations, I will use the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila shares similarities in gut cell composition and signaling pathways and provides sophisticated genetic tools to allow spatiotemporal control of gene expression. I will investigate how impairment of PD–associated genes result in GI phenotypes characteristic of the disorder. I will focus on how mutations of alpha-synuclein and Pink1 genes influence gut physiology, neuronal degeneration and mitochondrial function. My results in flies show that human A53T alpha-synuclein overexpression and Pink1 null mutants exhibit a constipation-like phenotype in female flies, in line with what seen in human patients. Building on these data I aim to 1) explore the role of modulators of alpha-synuclein for NMS appearance in the gut and in the brain; 2) identify the cellular nature (in the gut or in the brain) of NMS’ insurgence; 3) elucidate the timeline of mitochondrial dysfunction appearance in the enteric epithelial cells and dopaminergic neurons. I will address these questions using the power of Drosophila genetics, behavior and physiology. Ongoing work in the host laboratories on inter-organ communication and mitochondrial physiology will nicely complement the scope of the project.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75013 Paris
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.