Protein Aggregation News and Research

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Study reveals mechanism behind protein-related diseases

Dartmouth researchers have found that some proteins turn into liquid droplets on the way to becoming toxic solids implicated in neurodegenerative diseases and other genetic disorders.

30 Oct 2015

TUM scientists develop molecules that could pave way for new treatments to fight Alzheimer's, diabetes

When proteins change their structure and clump together, formation of amyloid fibrils and plaques may occur. Such 'misfolding' and 'protein aggregation' processes damage cells and cause diseases such as Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes. A team of scientists from the Technical University of Munich headed by Professor Aphrodite Kapurniotu have now developed molecules that suppress protein aggregation and could pave the way for new treatments to combat Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes and other cell-degenerative diseases.

26 Sep 2015

Altering protein recycling complexes in human cells may help overcome chemotherapy resistance

Altering the protein recycling complexes in human cells, including cancer cells, allows the cells to resist treatment with a class of drugs known as proteasome inhibitors, according to Whitehead Institute scientists.

2 Sep 2015

Redox equilibrium may help identify new diagnostic biomarkers for ageing, neurodegenerative processes

The question of why we age is one of the most fascinating questions for humankind, but nothing close to a satisfactory answer has been found to date.

3 Aug 2015

New finding could help change pharmaceutical treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Diseases like Alzheimer's are caused when proteins aggregate and clump together. In a world first, EPFL scientists have successfully distinguished between the disease-causing aggregation forms of proteins.

28 Jul 2015

Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announces ADI grants for Alzheimer's disease research

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announced today the award of Allen Distinguished Investigator (ADI) grants to five teams of researchers with projects that will open new and innovative avenues of research in Alzheimer's disease by uncovering its elusive biological roots.

14 Jul 2015

Intrinsically disordered proteins have ability to alter their configuration

Like the shape-shifting robots of "Transformers" fame, a unique class of proteins in the human body also has the ability to alter their configuration. These so-named intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) lack a fixed or ordered three-dimensional structure, which can be influenced by exposure to various chemicals and cellular modifications.

26 Feb 2015

Study identifies small loop in human prion protein that resists chronic wasting disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) — an infectious disease caused by prions — affects North American elk and deer, but has not been observed in humans. Using a mouse model that expresses an altered form of the normal human prion protein, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined why the human proteins aren't corrupted when exposed to the elk prions.

24 Feb 2015

Korean scientists produce flexible, stable monolayers of protein-bound gold nanoparticles

Free-standing nanoparticle films are of great interest for technical applications, such as the development of nanoelectronic devices. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Korean scientists have introduced very flexible and stable monolayers of gold nanoparticles made by a self-assembly process based on protein aggregation. The films were used to coat wafers up to 10 cm in diameter.

20 Feb 2015

Researchers identify molecule that can block progression of Alzheimer's disease

A molecule that can block the progress of Alzheimer's disease at a crucial stage in its development has been identified by researchers in a new study, raising the prospect that more such molecules may now be found.

18 Feb 2015

RAB3GAP complex plays important role in autophagy

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease are typically characterized by protein deposits in the brain. These are comprised of defective, insoluble proteins which no longer fulfill their function and which cells are unable to break down. The work group headed by Professor Christian Behl of the Institute of Pathobiochemistry of the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has determined the RAB3GAP complex as a novel factor that influences the efficient degradation of proteins.

12 Feb 2015

Cornell University chemists uncover new insight into the underlying causes of ALS

Using a technique that illuminates subtle changes in individual proteins, chemistry researchers at Cornell University have uncovered new insight into the underlying causes of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

27 Oct 2014

New method helps reveal secret dance of proteins

Staying clear of diseases requires that the proteins in our cells cooperate with one another. But, it has been a well-guarded secret how tens of thousands of different proteins find the correct dancing partners as they degrade and build up the human body, brain and nervous system.

17 Sep 2014

Research findings call for clinical testing of relevant drugs to prevent NASH

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common affliction, affecting almost 30 percent of Americans, with a significant number suffering from its most severe form, called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In recent years, NASH has become the leading cause of liver transplantation.

19 Aug 2014

Malvern acquires MicroCal business and Affinity Biosensors' Archimedes product

Malvern Instruments Ltd (Malvern, UK) has today announced that it has completed the acquisition of MicroCal from GE Healthcare Life Sciences and has also purchased the Archimedes particle characterization system from Affinity Biosensors LLC (Santa Barbara, CA).

25 Jul 2014

Research reveals structural differences of protein involved in Huntington's disease

Neutron scattering research at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has revealed clear structural differences in the normal and pathological forms of a protein involved in Huntington's disease.

17 Jul 2014

Ocugen's OCU100 gets FDA orphan drug designation for treatment of retinitis pigmentosa

Ocugen, Inc. and the University of Colorado today announced exclusive license agreements that allow for Ocugen to continue developing two drug candidates for the treatment for ophthalmology indications, and that one of the assets, OCU100, recombinant lens epithelium derived growth factor 1-326 (LEDGF1-326), received orphan-drug status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a rare eye disease.

6 Jun 2014

Study finds role of oligomers in development of Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Aarhus University, Denmark, have drawn up the most detailed 'image of the enemy' to date of one of the body's most important players in the development of Parkinson's disease.

26 Apr 2014

NeuroPhage engineers series of molecules with potential to treat most neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers from NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have engineered a series of molecules with the potential to treat most neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by misfolded proteins, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.

23 Apr 2014

Heat shock protein may be involved in folding processes of tau protein

Proteins like the so-called heat shock protein Hsp90 play an important role in almost all processes within human cells. They help other proteins fold into their three-dimensional structure or return damaged proteins back into their proper shape.

3 Mar 2014