📺 How misfolded proteins harm our brain
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases have one thing in common: misfolded proteins damage the nerve cells in the brain. Erich Wanker and Anne Ast explained at the Urania Berlin why the protein origami is so important, how the damage occurs and what can be done about it (recording in German).
The common feature of nerve diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Huntington's is damaged nerve cells due to deposited, misfolded proteins in the brain. Why is protein folding important, how does it happen, and why do misfolded proteins damage cells? Prof. Erich Wanker and Dr. Anne Ast are investigating these questions. Using the example of Huntington's disease, they show how misfolded protein molecules increasingly clump together and thus slowly cause nerve cells to die. And they report on new approaches to dissolve the protein clumps in order to alleviate the disease.
