1. Home
  2. News & Events
  3. News
  4. ERC Advanced Grant for SyNergy member Mikael Simons
News | 22/04/2021 | Press Release, Award

ERC Advanced Grant for SyNergy member Mikael Simons

Nerve cells are surrounded by a fatty myelin layer, or sheath, that increases their ability to transmit electrical impulses, among other functions. Myelin is produced by cells known as glial cells that perform many important tasks related to nervous system functions. In his NETWORK project, SyNergy member Mikael Simons will study the networking of different types of glial cells.

Mikael Simons suspects that these cells communicate using lipoproteins, for example to deal with the natural ageing processes of the myelin sheath. With his team he plans to investigate the lipoproteins more closely to find out how they help to protect the myelin sheath. Prof. Simons is also interested in the role of lipoproteins in neurodegenerative or neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, in which the myelin sheath is destroyed through inflammation processes.