Research Questions:
1.How do systemic diseases (e.g., metabolic and immune disorders) increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s) through shared biological mechanisms?
2.Which biomarkers can be identified for early detection, progression monitoring, and therapeutic response in systemic and neurodegenerative diseases, and how can shared and specific biomarkers guide diagnostic and therapeutic tools?
Objectives:
1.Investigate pathways linking systemic diseases and neurodegenerative conditions to uncover shared and specific mechanisms.
2.Develop predictive models integrating multi-omics biomarkers, clinical data, and imaging metrics using machine learning to enable early risk identification, disease trajectory forecasting, and personalized management.
Scientific Rationale:
Systemic diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular disease share biological pathways with neurodegenerative disorders, including chronic inflammation, metabolic dysregulation, and immune activation. Inflammation elevates cytokines (e.g., IL-6, TNF-!) that cross the blood-brain barrier, activate microglia, and impair neuronal function. Metabolic imbalances, such as insulin resistance and oxidative stress, disrupt glucose metabolism, promote amyloid aggregation, and damage neuronal integrity, key features of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Epidemiological studies show systemic diseases increase neurodegeneration risk, while metabolomics and proteomics reveal shared biomarkers (e.g., lipids, inflammatory mediators) linked to common pathways. This research aims to identify actionable biomarkers and clarify systemic disease contributions to neurodegenerative pathology, enabling early detection and targeted interventions to reduce disease burden in aging populations.