The PhD project consists of developing a novel diagnostic capable of detecting the signature of a pathological forms of protein intimately associated to neurodegenerative diseases. The aim is to improve the diagnosis of patients suffering from neurodegenerative proteinopathies due to the aggregation of the proteins alpha-synuclein and tau, e.g. Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. This project builds on our team's expertise in aptamer technology (nucleic acid-based ligands) and the production of structurally distinct aggregates of alpha-synuclein and tau that we demonstrated to trigger distinct synucleinopathies and tauopathies. During this work, different aptamer libraries will be evaluated against different polymorphs of protein fibers found in different diseases. These aptamers will then be used to design a diagnostic test using a recently patented method (AptaFOOT-Seq). The student should have a strong interest in biomedical research, particularly the molecular aspects of biology. This thesis will provide in-depth training in RNA and protein synthesis and purification, directed molecular evolution, quantitative PCR (qPCR and droplet PCR), high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics analysis and structural biochemistry. The aim of the thesis is to obtain results that can be exploited in terms of intellectual property and to enable the student to envisage a career in an academic or industrial environment.