Dieter Edbauer

Dieter Edbauer is a group leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and an associate professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). His laboratory discovered that the pathogenic C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion is translated by unconventional mechanisms into aggregating dipeptide repeat (DPR) proteins in all reading frames. Since then, his team has characterized DPR aggregates from patients, mouse models, and neuronal systems down to the ultrastructural level. They are currently optimising an anti-DPR vaccine for clinical trials. A recent screen revealed that several nucleoside analogues potently inhibit repeat transcription, and the Edbauer lab is currently investigating this mechanism as a potential therapeutic target.