Our laboratory is interested in understanding the link between immunity and neurodegenerative disease. Neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are marked by an unusually wide genetic and clinical heterogeneity. Chronic (neuro) inflammation has been singled out as a rare hallmark common to all ALS cases. It triggers neuronal damage and death by enhancing glutamate toxicity, protein aggregation and/or oxidative stress. Nevertheless, various anti-inflammatory approaches have consistently failed to stop or slow down disease progression. For this reason, it is imperative to redefine the role of the immune system in neurodegeneration. In our laboratory we focus the role of the innate immune system in active maintenance of the homeostasis in the central nervous system.
Ongoing collaborations:
Jasna Kriz (CERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada)
Emanuele Buratti (ICGEB, Trieste, Italy)
Ervina Bilic (Zagreb ENCALS Center, Clinical hospital center Zagreb, Croatia)
Boris Rogelj (Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Robert Russell and Gordana Apic (Heidelberg University and CellNetworks, Heidelberg, Germany)
Letizia Mazzini and Fabiola De Marchi (Department of Neurology and ALS Centre, University of Piemonte Orientale, Maggiore Della Carità Hospital, Novara, Italy)
Memberships in scientific consortia
2019-2021 COST Action: Biomaterials And Advanced Physical Techniques For Regenerative Cardiology And
Neurology (BIONECA)
2018- Project MinE
Contact information:
Professor Ivana Munitic, principal investigator
Laboratory for Molecular Immunology
Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development
University of Rijeka
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Address:
Lab: O-236
Office: O-220
Radmile Matejcic 2
51000 Rijeka
CROATIA
Phone: +385 51 584 579
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5171-9950
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.hr/citations?user=dJOLzf0AAAAJ&hl=en