Structure

LIND K.U.Leuven KULeuven KUL Belgium Leuven Neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease Parkinson's disease Movement disorders Motor neuron diseases

LIND will be directed by a general assembly consisting of all participating senior investigators of the KU Leuven, VIB-Leuven and UZ Leuven. The leadership structure of LIND includes a strategic advisory board, a steering committee and an executive board (Fig. 1).

 
final structure
 

Figure 1: Structure of LIND. (ARCK: Alzheimer Research Center KU Leuven, ND: Neurodegenerative Diseases)


Mode of operation

LIND will focus its research on four main themes: cortical neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal degeneration – ARCK), movement disorders (e.g. Parkinson’s disease), motor neuron diseases, and secondary neurodegeneration (i.e. induced by secondary causes, such as epilepsy, inflammation, etc.). One theme to be added in the future is social, economical and ethical aspects of these diseases. Other themes can be included by the steering committee as appropriate.

The executive board will be responsible to kick off the initiative by calling together all interested research groups at KU Leuven. They will make an inventory of the available expertise and strengths. The institute will invite all interested scientists belonging to the various research domains, such as clinical research, basic research, neurogenetics, neuropathology, imaging, social sciences. The steering committee will meet regularly to discuss the operation of the institute and agree upon future actions to promote the working of the institute. Next to organizing meetings and congresses, an important task of LIND will be to invite an external scientific advisory committee (SAC) consisting of international renowned academicians, clinicians and industrial opinion leaders in the field of aging and neurodegeneration to assist and advise the steering committee with its scientific and managerial strategies. The contributing groups will assess on a regular basis strengths and weaknesses in the institute and will cooperate to strengthen the scientific backbone of the institute. The SAC-report will be a help and a support in this endeavor and its results will be submitted to the strategic advisory board.

Finally, LIND will be used to increase awareness of this rapidly growing burden for our future generation and to mobilize the necessary funding to support research in this area of enormous societal importance.