A group of scientists from the Portuguese university Universidade Nova (UNL) who are researching Alzheimer's, a neurodegenerative disease, were awarded a prize by bank Santander Totta/UNL on Monday, according to Portuguese Lusa News Agency.
The scientists aim to use methods involving genetic reprogramming of human cells. By transforming normal neurons into neurons at risk of developing the disease, they hope to better understand the underlying mechanisms of the illness.
According to Lusa, they will use fibroblasts, common cells found in the skin, to reprogram the cells in order to turn them into neurons and cultivate them 3D (neurospheres).