Aims

Establish the importance of circulatory biochemical markers such as 42 beta-amyloid protein and total and phosphorylated TAU in the extracerebral compartment  as preclinic predictive markers of Alzheimer Disease and its relationship with oxidative stress. Define, at molecular  level, a genetic profile of high risk patients. Together with other markers it will allow the characterization of different Alzheimer disease phenotypes (as probable as possible) and the development of  therapeutic approaches to specific targets.

Head of  Alzheimer Disease Research Group: Mercé Boada Rovira
Tel. 93 274 6141
mboada@vhebron.net




Researches
Francesc Pujadas Navinés

PhD Students
Maria del Mar Lara Bueno
Susana Lara Bueno

“Semicarbazide-sensitive aminooxidase (SSAO) activity as amyloid-cerebrovascular angiopathy marker: new therapeutic prospects”
Principal investigator: Mercè Boada Rovira.
Alzheimer patients display, in most of the cases, amyloid angiopathy (beta-amyloid protein abnormal deposition in brain vessels) that induce morphologic and functional alteration in those patients. Beta-amyloid induces toxicity in vessels by an oxidative stress mechanism, generated by hydrogen peroxide from unknown origin. Our group has described the semicarbazide-sensitive aminooxidase (SSAO) overexpression in vessels located between the human leptomeninges close to the beta-amyloid deposits. We are aimed to characterize this enzyme as putative marker for different types of dementia, especially with those related with cerebral amyloid angiopathy, in contrast to dementias with a vascular origin.