What are the molecular origins of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease?
Dr Leonardo Silva-Dias has recently joined the University of Augsburg as a recipient of a Humboldt Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The chemist is researching biomolecular processes surrounding pathological changes in nerve cells. His research could help to better understand the emergence of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The University of Augsburg has welcomed a new international scholar. Since April 2026, Dr Leonardo Silva-Dias has been a Humboldt Research Fellow at the University of Augsburg. Prof. Christoph A. Weber, head of the Chair of Theoretical Physics II and the research group Mesoscopic Physics of Life, is hosting the scholar. In Augsburg, Silva-Dias is working at the interface of physics, biology, and chemistry. He is researching specific cell processes that, among other things, lead to the clumping of protein in nerve cells. Such clumping, so-called protein aggregates, is a hallmark feature of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Binding agents contribute to the process within the cells. These binding agents are necessary for forming specific structures within the cells, known as biomolecular condensates. These are dynamic structures within the cells that form without a solid membrane and perform important functions. If they are disrupted during formation, it can lead to pathological changes. But how does this work? What mechanisms are at play? This is what Silva-Dias would like to find out in his research. “My aim is to develop a theoretical framework describing these processes,” he says. He would like to find out why in crowded cellular environments like the interior of the cell (the cytoplasm) errors occur and how these can be regulated. “I hope that we can gain new insights into the origins of protein aggregates and thereby contribute to a better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.” In the long-term, this knowledge could help us to develop new therapeutic approaches. In Augsburg, Silva-Dias will work closely together with the research group Mesoscopic Physics of Life headed by Christoph A. Weber. The research group focuses on the physical processes in biological systems at an intermediate scale, in particular processes involved in the spacial organisation of cell cytoplasm and the formation of primordial cells as the origin of life. Silva-Dias will also use the university’s high-performance computer, which enables complex simulations. Leonardo Silva-Dias studied chemistry at the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil, where he also received his doctorate. He has also had study and research stays at the University of Connecticut and Brandeis University in the United States. The Humboldt Research Fellowship enables outstanding researchers from abroad to undertake a research stay of up to 24 months in Germany. Through the programme, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation promotes outstanding researchers and supports them with individual supervision through a broad and diverse network.
https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/fakultaet/mntf/physik/groups/theo2/ cgBinding agents at the cell level
Gaining a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease
From Brazil to Germany
Humboldt Research Fellowship
Further information on the research group Mesoscopic Physics of Life: