The findings suggest that it may be possible to design new therapies to replace
alpha-synuclein's function or boost it in people with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
"This approach is complementary to our SLS-004 utilizing gene therapy to reduce the expression of
alpha-synuclein. We have assembled a team of seasoned pharmaceutical drug developers across all key functions and provided them with ample resources to execute on our strategic plans."
The researchers then observed their motor function after treatment andA the activities of the protein
alpha-synuclein, which is the primary driver of Parkinson's disease.A
Higuchi et al., "Initiation and synergistic fibrillization of tau and
alpha-synuclein," Science, vol.
Schulz-Schaeffer, "The synaptic pathology of
alpha-synuclein aggregation in dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease and Parkinson's disease dementia," Acta Neuropathology, vol.
Bouillot et al., "Binding of the PET radiotracer [[sup.18]F]BF227 does not reflect the presence of
alpha-synuclein aggregates in transgenic mice," Current Alzheimer Research, vol.
Colonic inflammation,
alpha-synuclein pathology in the gut, and dysbiosis of the gut microbiome in PD are among the many clues.
What the Chalmers researchers have now discovered, is that parvalbumin can form amyloid structures that bind together with the
alpha-synuclein protein.
elegans Parkinson's disease (PD) model of human
alpha-synuclein.
A protein called
alpha-synuclein is the main component of Lewy bodies, while Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles in the brain.
"Parkinson's disease is associated with abnormal processing of
alpha-synuclein," explains Dr.
"We think that in rare events if it (
alpha-synuclein) were to escape the appendix and enter the brain, this could lead to Parkinson's disease," Labrie told reporters.