Molecular genetics and biomarker research of frontotemporal lobar degeneration supported by robust biosampling and biobanking strategies.

In the past decade remarkable advances have been made in understanding the origin of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), after Alzheimer's disease one of the leading causes of dementia. In sharp contrast however, is the absence of any therapeutic strategy based on these novel discoveries and the fact that a significant portion of patients remains in which the source of the disease is still unknown. This research project proposes an integrated approach to further uncover the genetic etiology of FTLD. This includes the establishment of a centralized repository of tissues and biofluids from medically and molecularly thoroughly characterized, extended collections of FTLD patients and unaffected individuals (biobank). This powerful biobank will allow the set-up of state of the art genetic studies of FTLD. We will participate to international large scale genome-wide association studies aiming to discover genetic risk factors for FTLD. We will further investigate these findings in our population of Flanders- Belgian FTLD patients to examine population-specific risk profiles. Moreover, the biobank will facilitate translation of knowledge obtained from these basic molecular research studies into clinical applications for improved diagnosis and treatment of future patients.

Keywords:DEMENTIA, FRONTOTEMPORAL LOBAR DEGENERATION, MOLECULAR GENETICS

Disciplines:Microbiology, Systems biology, Neurosciences, Veterinary medicine, Biological and physiological psychology, Cognitive science and intelligent systems, Developmental psychology and ageing