Ina Maja Vorberg

Prof. Dr. Ina Maja Vorberg serves as a Group Leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn, Germany. Her research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in prion formation and the propagation of protein aggregates associated with neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Vorberg investigates how normally soluble proteins convert into highly ordered aggregates, a hallmark of neurodegenerative conditions. Her work examines the template-driven mechanism where protein aggregates induce conformational changes in native proteins, behavior characteristic of prions. She specifically explores whether mammalian proteins containing prion-like domains can exhibit true prion activities including aggregate multiplication and intercellular spreading.

Her laboratory employs high-throughput cell-based assays, organotypic brain slice cultures, and mouse models to characterize pathways involved in the replication of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agents and cytosolic proteins with prion-like domains. This research bridges findings from yeast prion models to mammalian systems, investigating conserved mechanisms across species that may explain disease progression in conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Dr. Vorberg's team studies how infectious protein aggregates are exchanged between cells, potentially contributing to the spread of pathological protein deposits throughout affected neural tissue. Her work has significant implications for understanding disease mechanisms and developing therapeutic strategies targeting the propagation of pathological protein aggregates in neurodegenerative disorders.