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Project Co-ordinator:

Prof. Leszek Kaczmarek
http://neurogene.nencki.gov.pl
l.kaczmarek@nencki.gov.pl
Nencki Institute
Warsaw, POLAND

 

Project Manager:

Ms. Marta Rucinska
m.rucinska@nencki.gov.pl
Nencki Institute
Warsaw, POLAND

 

Recruitment Co-ordinator

Prof. Alexander Dityatev
alexander.dityatev@dzne.de
Deutsches Zentrum fur
Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen
Magdeburg, GERMANY

 

Training Co-ordinator

Prof. Robert Pawlak
R.Pawlak@exeter.ac.uk
University of Exeter Medical School
Exeter, UK

ITN EXTRABRAIN

The extracellular matrix (ECM) has recently emerged as a fourth "synaptic" element, in addition to presynapse, postsynapse, and glia, which rapidly exchanges molecular signals with the other three. The ECM/CAMs also span the synaptic cleft, providing a transsynaptic adhesive apparatus, and the molecular steric hindrance imposed by the ECM/CAMs appears to regulate the synaptic dynamics. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that proteolytic activity may release from the ECM/CAMs cryptic ligand(s) that activate cell surface receptors and initiate intracellular signalling cascade(s). Thus, ECM and its enzymatic modifications have emerged as a highly topical research area, also because their extracellular localization makes the development of enzymatic inhibitors more feasible, with better access for novel drugs. In brief, it can be expected that a better understanding of the newly emerging field of ECM and its proteolysis in major brain diseases may change the way they are diagnosed and treated.

The ITN EXTRABRAIN brings together a group of well-established academic and industrial partners sharing interest in the ECM and its proteolysis, as summarized below.

 

Partnership	Country	Legal entity name    (Acronym)	Department Division /   Laboratory	Scientist-in-charge
1	Poland	Nencki Institute of   Experimental Biology   (NENCKI)	Laboratory of   Neurobiology	Leszek Kaczmarek
2a	Germany	Deutsches Zentrum für   Neurodegenerative   Erkrankungen (DZNE)	Laboratory of Molecular   Neuroplasticity   (DZNE-2a)	Alexander Dityatev
2b			Department of   Translational Research   (DZNE-2b)	Jochen Herms
3	United   Kingdom	University of Exeter   (UNEXE)	Laboratory of Neuronal   Plasticity and Behaviour	Robert Pawlak
4	Switzerland	Friedrich Miescher   Institute (FMI)	Department of   Neurobiology	Pico Caroni
5	Germany	Max Planck Institute of   Experimental Medicine   (MPG)	Laboratory of Clinical   Neuroscience	Hannelore Ehrenreich
6	United   Kingdom	University College   London (UCL)	Laboratory of Synaptic   Imaging	Dmitri Rusakov
7	France	ENS Paris (ENS)	Department of Biology	Antoine Triller
8	Portugal	Stab Vida (SVIDA)		Orfeu Flores
9	Germany	Evotec (ETEC)		Kenneth Young
11	Switzerland	Burson – Marsteller   (BUMA)		Linda Pavy

The focus of EXTRABRAIN training program is on expanding knowledge and on developing new treatments to the most costly brain disorders. The program will focus on anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, mental retardation and Alzheimer’s. A unifying neurobiological concept in the consorted effort to tackle these conditions is the involvement of abnormal synaptic plasticity.