A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Konstanze Winklhofer from the Ruhr University Bochum has discovered that the protein NEMO, which is known amongst other things for its role in the innate immune system, has an important function in labeling protein aggregates in the brain to prevent harmful deposits such as those that occur in Parkinson's disease.

By using mass spectrometry to study the proteome in the spinal fluid of Alzheimer's patients, scientist Betty Tijms and her colleagues from the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC and the University of Maastricht have discovered that there are five different subtypes of Alzheimer's disease. Understanding this heterogeneity is crucial for the development of Alzheimer's drugs.

According to the Science Magazine, the White Coat Waste Project, an interest group dedicated to eliminating taxpayer-funded animal testing in the US, has pointed out that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) no longer explicitly mentions the goal of phasing out mammalian testing by 2035 in its plans.

Scientists, research groups, scientific companies and institutions active in Saarland are eligible to participate. The prize money amounts to 10,000 euros and can be divided among up to three prize winners.