SAB member from the Institute of Neurosciences UB receives an ERC Advanced Grant

Ernest Arenas, member of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona, has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant to tailor dopamine-producing brain cells for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

The ERC Advanced Grant is one of Europe’s most prestigious programmes for research financing. This programme provides long-term funding to pursue a ground-breaking, high-risk project.

With this grant, Ernest Arena’s group aims to map the brain’s dopamine-producing cells at a molecular level using single-cell RNA sequencing, amongst other tools. This process may reveal sufficient information to create new ones, either by using stem cells that are then transplanted into the patient, or by reprogramming existing brain cells in vivo, something that could be used for therapeutic purposes in Parkinson’s disease.

With this new Ernest Arenas ERC grant, there are two members of the SAB with ERC Advanced grants, the other one being Frederic Saudou.
Professor Arenas is really involved in the Institute of Neuroscience, since he is already participating in H2020 European projects with members of the Institute.

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