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A new protein which will help scientists to understand why nerve cells die in people with Alzheimer’s disease has been designed in a University of Sussex laboratory. In people with Alzheimer’s, Amyloid-beta (Abeta) proteins stick together and make amyloid fibrils which forms clumps between neurons in the brain. It’s believed the build-up of these clumps causes brain cells to die, leading to the cognitive decline in patients suffering from the disease.

It is not known why this particular protein’s “stickiness” causes cells to die and scientists have been unable to properly test whether the sticky clumps of Abeta proteins have different effects, compared with individual proteins that are not stuck together.

Now University of Sussex scientists have created a new protein which closely resembles the Abeta protein in size and shape, but contains two different amino acids (the building blocks that proteins are made up of). These changes mean that the new protein does not form amyloid fibres or sticky clumps, and, unlike Abeta, is not toxic to nerve cells, according to a study, in the open access Nature Publishing Group journal, Scientific Reports.

This is a really exciting new tool that will contribute to research to uncover the causes for Alzheimer’s disease and enable tangible progress to be made towards finding targets for therapy,

” said Professor Louise Serpell, a senior author on the study and co-director of the University of Sussex’s Dementia Research Group.

The new protein will be an essential laboratory tool for researchers seeking to discover the role that Abeta plays in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Karen Marshall, who lead the study, said, “Understanding how the brain protein Abeta causes nerve cell death in Alzheimer’s patients is key if we are to find a cure for this disease. Our study clearly shows that the aggregation of Abeta into bigger species is critical in its ability to kill cells.

In the patients’ brains, abeta proteins tend to stick together and lead to the creation of amyloid fibrils. They create clumps between neurons within the brain, which will soon lead to the death of brain cells and result in cognitive decline. It has not been clear to patients why the stickiness of nerve cells leads to the death of brain cells, or even whether the “sticky clumps” show effects different from individual proteins.

The study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports says that the new protein does not lead to the formation of sticky clumps or amyloid fibres, nor is it toxic to nerve cells.
Abeta can lead to nerve cell death in Alzheimer’s patients, which can help to find a cure for the illness.

With the new protein, scientists can study the causes and role of abeta in Alzheimer’s disease. Senior author of the study and co-director of the University of Sussex’s Dementia Research Group, Professor Louise Serpell, said that the new discovery is exciting and “will contribute to research to uncover the causes for Alzheimer’s disease and enable tangible progress to be made towards finding targets for therapy.”

Peace-lover, creative, smart and intelligent. Prapti is a foodie, music buff and a travelholic. After leaving a top-notch full time corporate job, she now works as an Online Editor for Biotecnika. Keen on making a mark in the scientific publishing industry, she strives to find a work-life balance. Follow her for more updates!