Dilek Mercan
@neuroscientistt.bsky.social
PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Neuroscientist, likes imaging to understand the brain, makes research on Alzheimer's Disease
📍Bonn, Germany
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dilek-Mercan
https://x.com/neuroscientistt?t=fkBiKi-qRABzVEcrqIEnVQ&s=09
📍Bonn, Germany
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dilek-Mercan
https://x.com/neuroscientistt?t=fkBiKi-qRABzVEcrqIEnVQ&s=09
She lived to 117: what her genes and lifestyle tell us about longevity
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
She lived to 117: what her genes and lifestyle tell us about longevity
Maria Branyas Morera was the oldest person in the world when she died. Scientists analysed her genes, metabolism and more.
www.nature.com
September 28, 2025 at 9:48 AM
She lived to 117: what her genes and lifestyle tell us about longevity
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Dilek Mercan
Based on feedback from applicants, reviewers and broader research community, the ERC Scientific Council decided to make changes in the 2026–27 calls for proposal for research funding.
More details from the ERC President 👉 europa.eu/!hP3WWF
What’s your take on this? Tell us! 👇
More details from the ERC President 👉 europa.eu/!hP3WWF
What’s your take on this? Tell us! 👇
September 15, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Based on feedback from applicants, reviewers and broader research community, the ERC Scientific Council decided to make changes in the 2026–27 calls for proposal for research funding.
More details from the ERC President 👉 europa.eu/!hP3WWF
What’s your take on this? Tell us! 👇
More details from the ERC President 👉 europa.eu/!hP3WWF
What’s your take on this? Tell us! 👇
Dual AAV vectors for efficient delivery of large transgenes
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Dual AAV vectors for efficient delivery of large transgenes - Nature Protocols
In this Protocol, three dual adeno-associated viral strategies for delivery of large transgenes are presented—by reconstitution at the genomic, transcript or protein level—together with instructions f...
www.nature.com
September 12, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Dual AAV vectors for efficient delivery of large transgenes
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
AAV vectors for specific and efficient gene expression in microglia: Cell Reports Methods www.cell.com/cell-reports...
AAV vectors for specific and efficient gene expression in microglia
Aoki et al. develop an AAV vector for highly specific and efficient gene expression in cortical microglia. By flanking WPRE with microRNA target sequences, they achieve >90% specificity and enable functional imaging of microglial Ca2+ dynamics. This vector also permits systemic delivery, facilitating broad access to microglia in vivo.
www.cell.com
August 26, 2025 at 1:44 PM
AAV vectors for specific and efficient gene expression in microglia: Cell Reports Methods www.cell.com/cell-reports...
ApoE4 disrupts intracellular trafficking and iron homeostasis in a reproducible iPSC-based model of human brain endothelial cells: Stem Cell Reports www.cell.com/stem-cell-re...
ApoE4 disrupts intracellular trafficking and iron homeostasis in a reproducible iPSC-based model of human brain endothelial cells
Bell and colleagues develop a new protocol to differentiate brain endothelial cells
from iPSC to investigate the regulation of intracellular transport across the blood-brain
barrier. They find that Ap...
www.cell.com
August 26, 2025 at 10:27 AM
ApoE4 disrupts intracellular trafficking and iron homeostasis in a reproducible iPSC-based model of human brain endothelial cells: Stem Cell Reports www.cell.com/stem-cell-re...
Microglia regulate neuronal activity via structural remodeling of astrocytes: Neuron www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Microglia regulate neuronal activity via structural remodeling of astrocytes
Gu et al. showed that in rats fed a high-salt diet, reactive microglia accumulate
around vasopressin-secreting neurons, phagocytosing astrocytic elements and pruning
astrocytes. This causes glutamate ...
www.cell.com
August 20, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Microglia regulate neuronal activity via structural remodeling of astrocytes: Neuron www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Therapeutic genetic restoration through allogeneic brain microglia replacement
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Therapeutic genetic restoration through allogeneic brain microglia replacement - Nature
Nature - Therapeutic genetic restoration through allogeneic brain microglia replacement
www.nature.com
August 14, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Therapeutic genetic restoration through allogeneic brain microglia replacement
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The R136S mutation in the APOE3 gene confers resilience against tau pathology via inhibition of the cGAS-STING-IFN pathway
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The R136S mutation in the APOE3 gene confers resilience against tau pathology via inhibition of the cGAS-STING-IFN pathway
The Christchurch mutation (R136S) in the APOE3 (E3S/S) gene is associated with attenuated tau load and cognitive decline despite the presence of a cau…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 12, 2025 at 5:54 PM
The R136S mutation in the APOE3 gene confers resilience against tau pathology via inhibition of the cGAS-STING-IFN pathway
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Selectively vulnerable deep cortical layer 5/6 fast-spiking interneurons in Alzheimer’s disease models in vivo: Neuron www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Selectively vulnerable deep cortical layer 5/6 fast-spiking interneurons in Alzheimer’s disease models in vivo
Papanikolaou et al. show that deep-layer cortical neurons exhibit abnormally prolonged
Ca2+ transients early in Alzheimer’s mouse models. This is linked to suppressed activity
and altered tuning of fa...
www.cell.com
July 24, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Selectively vulnerable deep cortical layer 5/6 fast-spiking interneurons in Alzheimer’s disease models in vivo: Neuron www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Discovery of AZD4144, a Selective and Potent NLRP3 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Inflammatory Diseases | Journal of Medicinal Chemistry pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Discovery of AZD4144, a Selective and Potent NLRP3 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Inflammatory Diseases
Inflammatory disease is a major burden on health care, and new treatments are needed to manage exaggerated inflammatory responses. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a key player in inflammation, the activatio...
pubs.acs.org
July 21, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Discovery of AZD4144, a Selective and Potent NLRP3 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Inflammatory Diseases | Journal of Medicinal Chemistry pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Response of spatially defined microglia states with distinct chromatin accessibility in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Response of spatially defined microglia states with distinct chromatin accessibility in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease - Nature Neuroscience
The dynamics of microglia states adjacent to or far from amyloid-beta plaques are unclear. Here the authors show that non-plaque-associated microglia modulate the cell population expansion in response...
www.nature.com
July 15, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Response of spatially defined microglia states with distinct chromatin accessibility in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Alzheimer’s disease patient-derived high-molecular-weight tau impairs bursting in hippocampal neurons: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Alzheimer’s disease patient-derived high-molecular-weight tau impairs bursting in hippocampal neurons
In mouse models, tau impairs neuronal complex spike bursting and associated network
processes in hippocampus CA1 alongside CaV2.3 downregulation. Soluble high-molecular-weight
tau species drive these ...
www.cell.com
July 15, 2025 at 5:08 AM
Alzheimer’s disease patient-derived high-molecular-weight tau impairs bursting in hippocampal neurons: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Had a great time teaching "Intracranial injections in the mouse brain" to Master of Neuroscience students from @unibonn.bsky.social It’s always very nice to work with such motivated and curious students. Looking forward to their progress in the Neuronal Circuit Dysfunction module 🧠 @dzne.science
June 17, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Had a great time teaching "Intracranial injections in the mouse brain" to Master of Neuroscience students from @unibonn.bsky.social It’s always very nice to work with such motivated and curious students. Looking forward to their progress in the Neuronal Circuit Dysfunction module 🧠 @dzne.science
go.nature.com/4k7XfJw
Spatial genomics of AAV vectors reveals mechanism of transcriptional crosstalk that enables targeted delivery of large genetic cargo
Spatial genomics of AAV vectors reveals mechanism of transcriptional crosstalk that enables targeted delivery of large genetic cargo
Spatial genomics of AAV vectors reveals mechanism of transcriptional crosstalk that enables targeted delivery of large genetic cargo - Nature Biotechnology
Profiling transcriptional crosstalk between promoters and cell-type-specific enhancers allows large gene cargo delivery.
go.nature.com
May 21, 2025 at 11:09 AM
go.nature.com/4k7XfJw
Spatial genomics of AAV vectors reveals mechanism of transcriptional crosstalk that enables targeted delivery of large genetic cargo
Spatial genomics of AAV vectors reveals mechanism of transcriptional crosstalk that enables targeted delivery of large genetic cargo
Had a great time at the Venusberg Meeting on Neuroinflammation — inspiring talks, great discussions, and excellent posters. I really enjoyed presenting our work from @dzne.science, reconnecting with old friends, and meeting many amazing researchers. Thanks to the organizers for this fantastic event!
May 18, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Had a great time at the Venusberg Meeting on Neuroinflammation — inspiring talks, great discussions, and excellent posters. I really enjoyed presenting our work from @dzne.science, reconnecting with old friends, and meeting many amazing researchers. Thanks to the organizers for this fantastic event!
Reposted by Dilek Mercan
Enhancing the Cre-loxP system: Two new genetic tools – roxCre and loxCre – can improve the performance of the Cre-loxP system for making genetic modifications in vivo.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
April 3, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Enhancing the Cre-loxP system: Two new genetic tools – roxCre and loxCre – can improve the performance of the Cre-loxP system for making genetic modifications in vivo.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
Decoding microglial immunometabolism: a new frontier in Alzheimer's disease research
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Decoding microglial immunometabolism: a new frontier in Alzheimer's disease research - Molecular Neurodegeneration
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) involves a dynamic interaction between neuroinflammation and metabolic dysregulation, where microglia play a central role. These immune cells undergo metabolic reprogramming i...
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com
March 31, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Decoding microglial immunometabolism: a new frontier in Alzheimer's disease research
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Microglia aggregates define distinct immune and neurodegenerative niches in Alzheimer's disease hippocampus
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Microglia aggregates define distinct immune and neurodegenerative niches in Alzheimer's disease hippocampus - Acta Neuropathologica
In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), microglia form distinct cellular aggregates that play critical roles in disease progression, including Aβ plaque-associated microglia (PaM) and the newly identified coffin...
link.springer.com
March 20, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Microglia aggregates define distinct immune and neurodegenerative niches in Alzheimer's disease hippocampus
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Longitudinal analysis of a dominantly inherited Alzheimer disease mutation carrier protected from dementia
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Longitudinal analysis of a dominantly inherited Alzheimer disease mutation carrier protected from dementia - Nature Medicine
A rare case of asymptomatic dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s reveals confined tau pathology and unique proteomic features, highlighting potential resilience mechanisms decades beyond expected onset.
www.nature.com
February 11, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Longitudinal analysis of a dominantly inherited Alzheimer disease mutation carrier protected from dementia
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
