About MMDN

The lab "Molecular Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Diseases" (MMDN, UMR_S 1198 Inserm/University of Montpellier/EPHE) is an interdisciplinary lab dedicated to research on the biology of ageing and of neurodegenerative diseases, from cells to humans. The overall scientific aim of MMDN is to improve our understanding of the molecular and social bases of "normal" ageing, as well as of neurodegenerative diseases, and to suggest new approaches for diagnosis, care and treatment. Our research is based on 3 specific themes:

1. Processes in ageing: from single cells to humans. Ageing is a continuum process that begins at conception, continues during development and for as long as we live. The main originality of the lab is that we are able to study ageing from the level of single neurons, to the level of human populations.
2. Conception and development of experimental models. Our goal is to identify and understand not only the early mechanisms of neurodegenerative processes before deleterious signs appear but also more chronic phases. We develop various and complementary systems for the analysis of ageing and neurodegeneration, both in vitro (cell cultures) and in vivo (drosophila, zebrafish, mice, rats, and primates).
3. Therapeutic strategies. Using our various cellular and animal models, we develop specific strategies in dealing with pharmacological, gene therapy, peptide delivery or dietary supplementation approaches. In the aim of translation to clinical research, we assess our therapeutic strategies using both behavioural and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) follow-up.