With the global phenomenon of aging whereby many countries worldwide will have at least 20% of their population > 65 years old by 2030, the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons and associated diseases, represents a major clinical burden. Many neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's occur as a result of neurodegenerative processes and discovering cellular mechanisms involved in neuronal loss might offer new diagnostic and therapeutic advances. At NIBN, research groups are focusing on the development of innovative immune and peptide-based therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease, understanding awry protein-protein interactions in ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) as well as utilizing the nematode c. elegans as a model system to unveil mechanisms of neurodegeneration and assessment of naturally-occurring plant extracts to halt cell loss
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