The project led by ITQB NOVA researcher Ana Pina has won a CaixaResearch Saúde grant of 1 million euros to promote the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases through the study of tau protein aggregates.
It is estimated that by 2050, around 130 million people worldwide will suffer from neurodegenerative diseases, according to the World Health Organisation. As diagnostic approaches currently focus on symptoms, making early detection difficult, there is a clear need to develop new methods to diagnose these diseases early and accurately, opening the door to early treatment to delay progression.
“This recognition from La Caixa is a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of research into neurodegenerative diseases, with the aim of making early detection a reality,” says Ana Pina, principal investigator at ITQB NOVA, about the grant now received.
The CaixaResearch Health Calls are sponsored by the La Caixa Foundation and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. In this call, 25.7 million euros were awarded to 29 biomedical and health research projects selected from 580 proposals. These projects, with potential value and social impact, whether in basic, clinical or translational research, will be developed over the next three years.
More information on the ITQB NOVA website