Node leader: Christian Dölle
Dr. Christian Dölle is a senior researcher in Molecular Biology. A biochemist by training, he obtained his PhD in molecular biology/biochemistry in 2008. He is an expert in mitochondrial biology and NAD metabolism and has extensive experience in establishing and studying neuronal cell models.
Node activities
Efforts to develop effective therapies for PD, dementia, ALS and MS are impeded by the lack of models recapitulating fundamental processes involved in the initiation and progression of the neurodegenerative process. The Cell Models Node is establishing models of key processes associated with neuronal dysfunction and death in patients with these diseases, based on findings from the Systems Medicine Node and new discoveries published by the field. The models are then used to: 1) advance the mechanistic understanding of these processes and 2) discover therapies targeting and ameliorating these processes (in collaboration with the Drug Discovery Node).
Several models have been established, including cell models of mitochondrial dysfunction, ribosomal inhibition, and α-synuclein aggregation.
The Cell Models Node will continue to implement mechanistic analyses of these models (including multi-omics characterisation) and initiate highthroughput drug screening in collaboration with the Drug Discovery node.