Poster Award for Denise Kalbe

Denise Kalbe received third prize for her poster at the “BMFZ Meeting – 6th Symposium on Neurodegenerative Diseases” held in mid-November at the Haus der Universität in Düsseldorf. Under the title “Three-Dimensional Polarised Light Imaging in Neurodegeneration: Focus on MSA-C,” the poster demonstrated how 3D-Polarized Light Imaging (3D-PLI) can be used to study neurodegenerative diseases. The technique visualizes the orientation and integrity of nerve fibers in brain sections. By exploiting the birefringence of brain tissue, it provides high-resolution insights into the myelin sheaths of nerve fibers and reveals their damage.

The poster illustrated the application of 3D-PLI to brain sections from a case of MSA-C (multiple system atrophy of the cerebellar type), a rare disorder characterized by severe degeneration of the brain’s white matter. The imaging revealed localized damage—demyelination and degeneration accompanied by reduced fiber coherence. These findings were confirmed by immunohistochemistry, underscoring the potential of 3D-PLI as a sensitive and complementary method in neuropathological research.

This year’s meeting of the Biological-Medical Research Center (BMFZ) was entitled “Amyloids, prions, clinical trials and biomarkers” and was supported by the Alzheimer Research Initiative e.V.