These disorders are characterised by the death of neuronal cells coupled with cognitive impairments and motor disabilities. Compared to the last two decades, the contribution of these non-communicable neurological disorders now accounts for more than double India’s overall disease burden. The major obstacle in the management of these diseases has been the lack of available robust biomarkers which could aid in early detection and specific disease-modifying drugs that can treat the disease. Moreover, the therapeutic approaches currently available for such diseases provide only symptomatic relief instead of a cure. Therefore, early diagnosis and intervention are critical for managing neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Using existing expertise and an interdisciplinary approach at IIT Bombay, SCAN aim to understand the molecular, cellular, and biochemical pathways associated with neurodegeneration. Further, the Centre intends to create novel diagnostic tools and biomarkers for the early diagnosis and prognosis of neurodegenerative disorders like PD, AD, and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The findings from the studies could then be extrapolated to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.