A research team from the University Hospital of Cologne has received significant funding from the “CARE” program of the Wellcome Leap organization. The IMAGESTRO project investigates hormonal factors, in particular estrogen, that influence the increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in women. The aim is to develop personalized strategies for risk reduction.

The team is developing new radiopharmaceuticals for molecular imaging of estrogen receptors in the brain. These tracers are intended to make the distribution and density of the receptors visible in order to link changes, such as those caused by menopause, to neurodegenerative diseases. Molecules are selected from a library of active ingredients, optimized and tested in preclinical and clinical studies to test their safety and significance.

The research led by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Drzezga and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernd Neumaier combines radiochemistry and clinical imaging. Pilot projects will investigate differences in estrogen receptor expression between pre- and postmenopausal women and their association with Alzheimer’s pathologies. In the long term, the project aims to better understand and reduce the risk of dementia in women.

The funding integrates the University Hospital of Cologne into the Wellcome Leap Health Breakthrough Network, an international network of leading research institutions. This strengthens the cooperation with Forschungszentrum Jülich and opens up access to funding opportunities for other Cologne research groups.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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