Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology are trying to get proteins to create the sticky plaque often associated with neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and even Mad Cow. If successful, the study would better equip researchers to prevent or find a cure for these diseases.
"All of these diseases have in common the presence of plaque," says Dr. Daniel Forciniti, professor of chemical and biological engineering at Missouri S&T. "But all involve different proteins."
Nearly 15 years ago, Forciniti's group began studying how proteins and peptides behave when they are near a solid surface - such as when a protein in blood is near the inner surface of a vein. "We have developed considerable expertise in both theoretical and experimental studies of proteins at solid-liquid interfaces," he says. "The transition to the study of the effect of surfaces, such as tissue, on the formation of protein aggregates was a natural one."
While the debate over what causes these diseases continues, it's commonly accepted that an abnormal buildup of these protein deposits on the surface of the brain, also known as amyloid deposits or plaques, are found in people with Alzheimer's disease.
Reviewed 2013-02-18