May 16, 2024
Two research grants for Junior Professor Rhonda McFleder
Rhonda McFleder was honoured with two grants for her research by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Parkinson und Bewegungsstörungen (DPG) e. V.
Rhonda McFleder, member of the ReTune project,was honoured with two research grants by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Parkinson und Bewegungsstörungen (DPG) e. V.(German Society for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders). At its 2024 congress in Rostock the DPG awarded two Young Scientist Awards to support the realisation of promising research projects. In addition, three outstanding young scientists were honoured with the DPG Science Award “Neurodegenerative Diseases” 2024 for their excellent work. Rhonda McFleder, Junior Professor of Translational Medicine at the Neurological Clinic and Polyclinic at the University Hospital of Würzburg, was honoured with both awards.
Her project “Decoding the Immune-Mediated Crosstalk along the Gut-Brain axis in PD” is being supported with 100,000 euros as part of the DPG Young Scientist Award 2024. The gut, in particular the immune cells of the gut and inflammation, play a central role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease.
Jun.-Prof McFleder is researching the communication between the gut and the brain. Deciphering the immunological interaction between these two organs could contribute to the development of new therapies that influence the course of Parkinson’s disease, which is currently incurable.
Rhonda McFleder was also honoured with the DPG Science Award 2024 for her publication “Brain-to-gut trafficking of alpha-synuclein by CD11c+ cells in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease”. Using a mouse model, she describes the communication between the brain and the gut, which is mediated by CD11c+ macrophages. The work sheds light on the mechanisms underlying the spread of pathological alpha-synuclein from the brain to the periphery and thus identifies potential therapeutic targets to prevent the progression of the disease.
Prof. Rhonda McFleder
Rhonda McFleder is a US-born Junior Professor in Translational Medicine at the University Hospital Würzburg. Her research is focused on immune dysregulation in Parkinson´s Disease utilizing transcriptomics and molecular techniques to develop treatment strategies to target immune cells. As member of the ReTune project, she seeks to optimize the neuroprotective effect of deep brain stimulation.
© Picture: DPG
