Defective protein folding behind Alzheimer's and other diseases
Retention and degradation of active proteins are responsible for many human degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and cystic fibrosis, according to ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ scientists. The research team, which includes David Thomas, John Bergeron, Andrew Ferguson and Sean Taylor, has published results of their discovery in the February 2004 issue of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. "Our findings are an important step toward the development of prevention and treatment strategies for many human degenerative diseases that result from defective protein folding," explains Thomas, chair of ±«ÓãÖ±²¥'s Department of Biochemistry. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health. To learn more about ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ research, please contact David Thomas at 514-398-2973 or by david.thomas [at] mcgill.ca (email).