Nakatsuka Lab

Research focus

ERC Starting Grant · 2025

Approaching Synapses with Nanoscale Aptamer-Based Biosensors

“Given the complex, and multifactorial nature of neurodegenerative pathophysiology, strategies aimed at the synapse could provide a useful addition to the therapeutic toolbox” – this quote by B. Dejanovic et al. published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery this year, highlights the critical need for innovative tools to probe synaptic function. Synapses, where neurons communicate, are tightly regulated by astrocytes, which manage their energy needs (neuroenergetics). Astrocytes shuttle neuroenergetic molecules (e.g., glutamine, lactate, and adenosine) to meet energy demands. Disruptions in these astrocyte-mediated pathways are now recognized as common features in neurodegenerative disorders,…

From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.