Spinal cord mechanics in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (B04)

• Subject Area: Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy, Radiobiology ; Experimental Models for the Understanding of Nervous System Diseases ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 460333672

In close interaction with B03 and B05, B04 aims to understand how local mechanical properties in the central nervous system (CNS) contribute to the pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS). We will measure the evolution of mechanical properties of the spinal cord during the course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most common mouse model of MS. We will evaluate whether mechanical alterations are associated with disease severity and CNS histopathology. We will also focus on mechanosensation by astrocytes through the ion channel Piezo1 and assess the effects on spinal cord pathology when astrocytes lose their ability to respond to mechanical cues.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1540: Exploring Brain Mechanics (EBM): Understanding, engineering and exploiting mechanical properties and signals in central nervous system development, physiology and pathology
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Stefanie Kürten