Magdalini Polymenidou studies the fatal neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). She fell in love with the topic during a postdoctoral role in San Diego. “It was the beginning of an era in the field, and I was exactly at the right place at the right time,” she says.
It is a rewarding but challenging task. “Everybody in my team feels the urge to do something for people suffering from these diseases, but at the same time it is so difficult to crack this problem,” Polymenidou says. “I am sometimes asked by families and I have to say to them that we are doing everything we can right now but it will be the next generation of patients that will be helped.”
Despite the complexity of the research, she is confident a solution will be found. “There is real evidence that we can do this,” she says, pointing to the development of an antisense oligonucleotide against SOD1 mutations as an example.
“We are learning with this experience that it is possible to reverse neurodegeneration to a very good extent. We need to have the right drugs to target the mechanism that is killing neurons,” she says. “That is what my lab is studying. “
Polymenidou stresses that earlier detection in patients is needed as the process of neuron decay is difficult to reverse. “I really hope that in my lifetime we will see more developments helping a larger number of patients,” she says.
Polymenidou spent six months in industry in the United States after completing her PhD at the University Hospital in Zurich. “My PhD supervisor invited to do a sabbatical in industry and the project was really on my PhD work on the generation and characterization of antibodies so I had that opportunity,” she says. “It was an enriching experience and it helped to see on the other side of the wall. It was great but also reinforced my passion for academic science and the freedom that comes with it.”
