Overview Research return to list of focus groups
Researchers affiliated with the Neuroprotection Research Focus Group have broad interests in the basic biological mechanisms that underlie chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(Lou Gehrigs disease), multiple sclerosis, and Huntingtons disease, as well as acute brain injury resulting from stroke, cardiac arrest, trauma, and neurotoxins. The mission of the Neuroprotection Research Focus Group is to elucidate these mechanisms and use this information to develop treatments to both prevent and cure these devastating disorders.
Advances in molecular techniques for identifying abnormal genes and altered gene expression in chronic and acute neurodegenerative disorders enable screening of potential targets for intervention that was not possible a few years ago. The extensive and diverse patient population and the many experimental models of neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration being studied at the University of Maryland provide the resources necessary for such screening. The greater challenge will be to translate the knowledge gained from molecular analyses into an understanding of the mechanisms responsible for neurodegeneration, and into novel approaches for treating or preventing these disorders. Although these goals are formidable, their importance to the health, welfare, and security of our society is immeasurable.