NEURO-immune and GATEway-mediated mechanisms to counteract Parkinson’s Disease (NEUROGATE-PD)

VHIR is seeking an outstanding and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to apply for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship and join the Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Group.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF)

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) are part of the Horizon Europe programme and support postdoctoral researchers in developing an original research and innovation project through international mobility.

The programme aims to strengthen researchers’ careers through excellent science, international collaboration and interdisciplinary experience, while fostering integration in both academic and non-academic environments. The MSCA-PF call is highly competitive and represents an excellent opportunity to attract international talent and support researchers in consolidating their scientific careers through an ambitious mobility-based fellowship.

The 2026 call closes on 09/09/2026 (17:00 Brussels time). For candidates applying to a European Postdoctoral Fellowship, the fellowship duration is from 12 to 24 months.

Full eligibility details: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026

Background

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder, affecting over 10 million people worldwide. Current treatments remain symptomatic and do not prevent disease progression. Although classically defined by dopaminergic neuron loss and α-synuclein aggregation, PD is now recognised as a multi-system disorder.

Non-motor symptoms such as gastrointestinal dysfunction, mood alterations, and sleep disturbances often precede motor symptoms, highlighting the gut–brain axis as a bidirectional communication network relevant for PD pathogenesis. Within this axis, microbiota composition, barrier integrity, and immune signalling contribute to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Aging impairs both barrier function and immune homeostasis. In PD, these alterations are exacerbated, increasing permeability, immune cell infiltration, chronic inflammation, and neurodegeneration. However, the relative contribution of aging versus environmental factors (e.g., infections, pollutants), and the therapeutic opportunities derived from restoring these functions, remain unclear.

To address these gaps, this project will integrate clinical research, experimental models, and mechanistic studies in a multidisciplinary and international framework, aiming to uncover mechanisms linking barrier dysfunction to neurodegeneration and to develop regenerative strategies targeting these interfaces.

This approach will advance our understanding of brain–body communication, identify biomarkers, and open new therapeutic avenues for PD and other age-related diseases.

Objective

NEUROGATE-PD aims to understand the principles of barrier-mediated brain–body interactions in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This project will address key knowledge gaps essential for future biomarker discovery and therapeutic development aimed at preventing neurodegeneration through restoration of barrier function. In addition, it will investigate the impact of lifestyle factors (e.g., nutrition, microbiota, and environmental pollutants) on barrier integrity and how these factors influence PD onset and progression using relevant clinical cohorts and humanised experimental models.

Our Group

The PI is a junior group leader within the Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group led by Dr. Miquel Vila (ICREA Professor, UAB). The group includes experts such as Dr. Marta Martínez-Vicente (autophagy research) and Dr. Jorge Hernández-Vara (clinical neurology). The team has established the Vall d’Hebron Parkinson’s Initiative (VHIP), a key longitudinal cohort for this project. The group collaborates extensively with national and international experts and networks (CIBERNED, ASAP, GBA consortium). Their research addresses PD as a multifactorial disorder with significant societal impact, combining mechanistic research, clinical cohorts, and translational innovation.

Main research lines:

• Clinical and Biomarker Research

VHIP includes >200 participants (patients, carriers, controls), combining clinical, genetic, imaging, and biospecimen data. Objectives:

1. Biomarker discovery (risk, diagnosis, prognosis)
2. Disease stratification
3. Early pathophysiology understanding gender perspective is systematically integrated.
4. Translational Innovation and Therapeutics
5. Focus on gut–brain communication and neuroimmune modulation
6. Studying enteric α-synuclein pathogenicity
7. Dietary interventions
8. Targeting bacterial neurotoxins

• Social Innovation

1. Development of participatory initiatives involving patients and stakeholders to improve quality of life and promote societal impact.

Main responsibilities and duties:

• Investigate inter-organ communication mechanisms in PD to identify novel pathogenic pathways, biomarkers, and disease-modifying strategies.
• Analysis of human samples and clinical data
• Mechanistic studies in rodent and cellular models
• Work within a multidisciplinary environment within the Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group at VHIR, involving expertise in neurology, biomedicine, biotechnology, chemistry, and bioinformatics.
• Participate in seminars, international collaborations, conferences, and short research stays.