Leda Dimou is a professor of Molecular and Translational Neuroscience in the Medical Faculty at Ulm University (UULM). Grown up in Greece, she studied Biology and earned her Ph.D. at the Ruprecht-Karls-University in Heidelberg, Germany. After completing her doctoral studies in the Center of Molecular Biology Heidelberg (ZMBH) and the Max-Planck-Institute for experimental Medicine in Göttingen, she first worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Brain Research Institute at Zurich University, Switzerland, and then continued her scientific career in Germany, as senior postdoc and then as Group Leader in the Institute for Physiological Genomics at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in München, before she finally came to Ulm University.

The focus of Leda Dimou and her team’s research is on brain cell functions in health, injury, and disease states. Using genetically modified mouse models, state-of-the-art in vitro molecular and cell biology tools, as well as advanced in vivo imaging, the team investigates the functions of neural cells in the adult brain. Their particular interest lies in glial cells, and specifically NG2-glia and their progeny, the oligodendrocytes, a heterogeneous population of cells, responsible for the myelination of neurons that besides stucturally and physiologically supporting them are important for the normal function of the brain.

The aim of her research is twofold: firstly, to better understand the functions of glial cells and their implications in neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), Spinocerebellar ataxia, autism, and Parkinson’s disease.  Secondly, identify specific markers and molecular targets within these cells for diagnostics and pharmacological studies. The results of her research could aid in the development of innovative therapies for these conditions.

She is a principal investigator in the German Collaborative Research Center 1506 “Aging at Interfaces”, where she aims to investigate how aging affects the myelination of neurons. Myelin is a specialized, multilayered membrane that insulates nerve fibers, essential for the efficient transmission of electrical impulses. She also aims to explore potential therapeutic approaches to counteract the age-related decline in the generation of oligodendrocytes – the type of glial cells that produce myelin – to improve cognitive and motor function in older animals.

Keywords: molecular and translational neuroscience, neuroscience, neuron, oligodendrocytes, myelin, glial cells, multiple sclerosis, in vivo imaging and experiments, mouse genetics, mouse models, cells and stem cells biology, cell cycle

Ulm – September 27th, 2023

How did you (decide to) become a scientist?  

It was a very early decision, to be honest. When I was around fourteen or fifteen years old, I started reading articles in newspapers about transgenesis and genome manipulation. It was a hype back then. It was something that I found extremely exciting, and that was for me the reason for my interest in science. At that time, I didn’t think about biology, chemistry, or other specific disciplines; I was fascinated by the idea of making transgenic organisms. I didn’t care whether it would be a plant, animal, or something else; manipulating the genome was the main reason why I decided to study biology. At that time, I decided to leave Greece – my country of origin – and move to Germany because I realized there were only limited opportunities for practical work during the genetics study program in my country. This is why I decided to come to Germany, and with a break in-between in Switzerland, have since remained here. “Changing the world” was my major goal.  

What is your drive and excitement in science and in doing what you do now?

My drive changed over time. Transgenesis was an old idea many years ago, compared to what I’m doing now. Now my drive is to understand how the body and the brain work and to use the knowledge that we gain over time to get ideas for new therapeutic approaches to cure diseases. We’re basic scientists, we are not clinician scientists, but still, we try to understand how the brain works. We focus on specific cells in the brain – the glial cells – which until now have been neglected, and on how they could also play a role and affect the brain in many diseases. Last year, for example, we demonstrated that glial cells are important for diseases that have been so far related only to neuronal cells and that glial cells are also affected in other diseases I’m interested in. My idea is to understand how this works, to open new avenues and new doors for new approaches that maybe could help people.

Would you have one word to give as a gift to other women and more in general to young aspiring scientists, women or men?

For me, I think the most important point is to have fun in what you do, enjoy the time you spend at work, and wake up in the morning wanting to go to the lab. If this is your passion, you can make it work. It’s also fun trying to understand how life works, how the body works, and not only in humans or animals but also in plants. This is science. In my opinion, in science, you have the most freedom that you can have in your life – this is a fact that often people do not realize. There are times when I’m all day in the lab, I have to work, and don’t have time for my family and my kid. But the freedom you have in science is unique because in the end, as long as the work is done, you can come and go whenever you want. If you do the work in the middle of the night or at three o’clock in the morning, nobody cares as long as it is done. For me, the statement that very often comes from women “I cannot stay in science because the combination of family and career is not possible” is not true. I would say scientific research is the best situation that you can have. If you want to work at home, or if you want to get your kids from school at three in the afternoon and go home, you can do it – you can still work at night when the kids are in bed. I think that it’s something that people should keep in mind. For sure scientists work a lot, it’s not an eight-hour work, no doubt. But still, it’s for you to decide about your planning and to make your schedule. As long as you have fun, I think research is something that you can combine with everything. Curiosity and fun are the most important things.