Investigating changes in the KANK1 protein in MND to better understand the role that they may play in disease.
Principal Investigator: Dr Thomas Zacharchenko
Lead Institution: University of Manchester
MND Association Funding: £309,957
Funding dates: September 2024 - August 2027
About the project
Some forms of MND can be linked to changes in a protein called KANK1 which interacts with other proteins called integrins. Integrins can be thought of like our hands, as they grab hold of other proteins outside of the cell, hold the cell in place and gather information about the environment around them. Integrins play an important role in how neurons combine to form the networks that coordinate movement of the body. It is thought that changes in KANK1 in MND may interfere with the functions of integrins. In MND, it has been shown that harmful clumps of the KANK1 protein form in cells which may contribute to the damage and death of neurons. This project aims to study the formation of these harmful clumps to understand how and why they form and what effects they may be having on the cells. It will use cell and animal models of MND to observe how the clumps of KANK1 might be involved in the disease.
What could this mean for MND research?
The project will shed more light on the role that KANK1 might play in the development and progression of MND. Understanding more about the biological effects of changes in KANK1 in disease could reveal new targets for the development of therapies to restore the function of integrin proteins or help remove or reduce the clumps of protein that are harmful to the neurons.
Project code: 2385-791
