“Genetic brain disorders” is the topic of the Coffee with the Scientist event with Marta Biagioli, researcher at CIBIO (Centre for Integrativo Biology, University of Trento), scheduled for 15 March. “A hereditary genetic disorder consists in a harmful change or ‘mutation’ in the DNA that can be transmitted from parent to child. One example is Huntington’s disease (HD), a pathology caused by a specific and well-characterised mutation in the gene HTT that leads to the excessive expansion of a sequence of DNA, causing the degeneration of specific neurons in certain areas of the brain. Discovered more than twenty years ago, there is still no effective therapeutic treatment and the disease remains incurable. - Biagoli explains. - We believe that it is essential to use models that accurately reproduce the characteristics of the human HD mutation, focusing on alterations that characterise the onset of the disease. These alterations can be investigated and tackled to facilitate the development of new and effective therapeutic treatments.”
Until May 17 the Museum of Science-MUSE is hosting a series of Coffee with the Scientist talks entitled “La ricerca crea valore” (Research creates value) supported by the Trentino System of Higher Education and Research, which in addition to the University of Trento, includes the Autonomous Province of Trento, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, the Edmund Mach Foundation, and the MUSE science museum. A variety of topics, covering health, social issues and everyday life, are discussed by people who work in the field, in dialogue with the audience. The programme and further information are available at www.unitn.it/caffescientifici
