Research Project Description:

The Experimental Electrophysiology Unit (EEU) with state-of-the-art equipment will facilitate the use of innovative techniques to study basic mechanisms of nervous system function and the full range of functional evaluation in pre-clinical studies of new therapeutic approaches to treat neurological disorders. Functional assessment of neuronal mechanisms and treatment outcomes supported by the EEU will complement existing molecular and morphological research infrastructure, facilitating more translatable research projects and the exploitation of results for clinical applications in collaboration with industry. The EEU will include a patch clamp setup, a wide field recording setup for ex vivo CNS recordings and two setups for in vivo recordings from the brain of freely moving mice or during sleep. This equipment will allow us to define the clearance mechanism of amyloid-beta aggregates following 40 Hz visual stimulation and to evaluate the therapeutic potency of pharmaceutical compounds in the 5XFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. It will also allow the functional evaluation of therapeutic potency of gene delivery into the brain of a hypomyelinating leukodystrophy model. The EEU will also include a setup for in vivo evaluation of peripheral nerve function including motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities that will be used to assess gene therapy treatment in mouse models of inherited peripheral neuropathies as well as the effect of focused ultrasound-induced transient blood-nerve barrier disruption as a method to facilitate penetration of therapeutics into peripheral nerves. The wide range of techniques and equipment that will be offered by the facility will provide the opportunity to incorporate electrophysiological techniques into experimental and pre-clinical neuroscience research, significantly advancing the national research capacity. The new infrastructure will attract both academia and industry to start new collaborations on innovative research projects that will benefit Health in a global scale.

Principal Investigator(s) and Coordinating Institution(s):

  • Alexia Kagiava, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics

Researchers at University of Nicosia:

  • Nikolas Perentos, UNIC Veterinary Medicine School and Avgis Hadjipapas, UNIC Medical School

**Other Researcher(s) Participating in the Project:

  • Christakis Damianou, Cyprus University of Technology
  • Kleopas Kleopa , The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics

Research Project Acronym: EXELU

UNIC Participating Institution:

  • UNRF

Funding Agency: IDEK

Funding Programme: Small Scale Inrfastructure

***UNIC/UNRF Budget: €84k

Total Research Project Budget: €698k

Research Project Status: Ongoing

Start and End Dates: 01 January 2024 – 01 July 2026

Funding Programme and/or Research Project Logo: