SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Accumulation Linked to Long-Lasting Brain Effects

Researchers have identified a mechanism that may explain the neurological symptoms of Long COVID

03-Dec-2024 - The study shows that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein remains in the brain’s protective layers, the meninges, and the skull’s bone marrow for up to four years after infection. This persistent presence of the spike protein could trigger chronic inflammation in affected individuals and increase the ...

New model system for the development of potential active substances used in condensate modifying drugs

Model system can break down fibrils into their constituent single units or liquid droplets for the first time

18-Nov-2024 - The origin of many diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's can be found at the molecular level in our body, in other words, in proteins. In a healthy system, these proteins are responsible for numerous physiological functions. In order to carry out certain tasks, they may also assemble in ...

Parkinson's disease - New test procedure enables early detection in patients at risk

Up to seven years before the onset of typical motor symptoms

21-Jun-2024 - In an international cooperation project, researchers from the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), the Paracelsus-Elena-Klinik Kassel and University College London (UCL) have developed a test procedure that makes it possible to predict the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in at-risk ...

Lighting up Alzheimer’s-related proteins to allow for earlier disease detection

08-Feb-2024 - Many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, are difficult to diagnose before symptoms begin to appear. However, disease-related biomarkers such as aggregated proteins called amyloids could provide important insight much earlier, if they can be readily detected. ...

Beckman Coulter and Fujirebio enter into partnership

The goal is a patient-friendly, blood-based Alzheimer's disease test

22-Sep-2023 - Beckman Coulter Diagnostics and Fujirebio announced a new partnership combining their respective immunoassay strengths to support therapeutic development, clinical trials, reimbursement, and routine clinical adoption in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. The burden of disability and deaths ...

Structural biology: Molecular scissors caught in the act

Structure of an enzyme crucial for tRNA maturation sheds light on cause of neurodegenerative disorders

17-Jul-2023 - In all living organisms, the biomolecule transfer RNA (tRNA) plays a fundamental role in protein production. tRNAs are generated from precursor molecules in several steps. The enzyme tRNA splicing endonuclease (TSEN), among other things, catalyzes one step in this process. Mutations in TSEN lead ...

Reading out RNA structures in real time

16-Feb-2023 - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and Stephen Hawking’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the gradual loss of control over the muscles in the body. It is currently incurable and the cause of the disease is unknown in over 90% of all ...

How old is your brain, really?

AI-powered analysis accurately reflects risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease based on brain age

11-Jan-2023 - The human brain holds many clues about a person’s long-term health — in fact, research shows that a person’s brain age is a more useful and accurate predictor of health risks and future disease than their birthdate. Now, a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that analyzes magnetic resonance ...

Drug Testing with Artificial Brain Vessels

Screening method simulates filter effect of the “blood-brain barrier”

05-Sep-2022 - In the journal “Biomaterials”, DZNE researchers present a novel method for testing chemical agents that could help in the development of drugs against neurodegenerative diseases. This analytical technique allows to study in the laboratory whether new drug candidates have a realistic chance of ...

Study identifies new dementia risk genes through novel testing approach

Mass screening of genetic variants in a single experiment

25-Aug-2022 - A new UCLA-led study has identified multiple new risk genes for Alzheimer’s disease and a rare, related brain disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) by using a combination of new testing methods allowing for mass screening of genetic variants in a single experiment. The study, ...