Making neurons
She creates neurons in the laboratory to understand Alzheimer's disease.
Veranika Panasenkava, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institut Pasteur, creates brain cells to study what goes wrong at the very onset of the disease.
The culprit? A protein fragment called amyloid beta. Normally, this protein helps our neurons communicate with each other. But sometimes, it is poorly made. Like a poorly assembled puzzle, it piles up instead of fitting together properly. These clusters form toxic plaques in the brain.
The brain then tries to defend itself. Its immune cells activate and create inflammation. But instead of repairing the damage, this reaction can disrupt the brain's balance: some neurons go into overdrive, while others shut down.
When the circuits become disorganized, neurons die. As a result, our memory and our memories gradually disappear.
Veranika and her team are studying the impact of amyloid beta in human neurons produced in the laboratory. She observes how these cells react and how immunity, cellular aging, and communication between neurons can cause the disease.
The goal is to understand these mechanisms in order to develop new treatments in the future.
Image credits: Institut Pasteur / Veranika Panasenkava, Pierre Lafaye, and Jean-Marc Panaud
(video in french, english subtitles available translated by AI)