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The Eicosanoids and nitric
oxide (NO) are important signaling
molecules in many physiological
and pathological processes,
including cardiovascular, cerebral
and neoplastic disorders. These
diseases account for the vast
majority of deaths in Europe
and represent an enormous health
problem. The project aims to
increase the knowledege about
these signaling molecules, with
the goal to develop novel therapeutics
and medical treatments.
Major parts of the project are:
- Molecular studies on key
enzymes and receptors to elucidate
biochemical properties, catalytic
mechanisms and structure-function
relationships.
- Functional genomics of
the Eicosanoid and NO cascades
to characterise gene expression
profiles under normal and
disease states and identification
of novel potential drug targets.
- Characterisation of new
genes, using proteomics, structural
genomics and model organisms.
- Cell biological work on
gene regulation, gene silencing,
signaling systems and crosstalk
between pathways.
These information will be used
in studies of disease mechanisms
in animal models and in clinical
investigations.
The basic research together
with applied and clinical studies
will act in synergy to identify
novel targets for pharmacological
intervention and drug design
for the treatment of patients
suffering from cardiovascular,
cerebral and neoplastic disorders.
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