When I started studying biomedical sciences and human biology in my home country of Ghana, I quickly discovered my interest in non-communicable diseases, particularly those related to neurology. As most research in sub-Saharan Africa focuses on infectious diseases, I moved to the UK for my Masters, before starting a PhD project at LCSB focusing on Parkinson's disease.
Here I am focusing on unravelling the complex mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease, in particular mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria, as the powerhouses of the cell, play a crucial role in most biological processes. They also have their own DNA genome and I'm particularly interested in the release of this DNA, which we know leads to inflammation, a major contributor to the progression of Parkinson's disease.
My work focuses on unravelling new disease-modifying targets for mtDNA release, particularly on modulating the levels of NAD+, which is an important component of the mitochondrial energy production process. Regulating this could potentially reduce mitochondrial DNA release and therefore neuroinflammation, which in turn could slow the progression of the disease.
As I progress into my fourth year of research, promising results suggest that an existing drug used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis can significantly decrease the release of mtDNA in cellular models of Parkinson's. This offers hope for an effective treatment strategy that will impact the lives of people with Parkinson's disease, as well as those living with other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and ALS, where mitochondrial DNA release also plays a role.