Molecular chaperone models and neurodegeneration

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As we age nerve cells in the brain can start to malfunction and die leading to dementia and other diseases. This process is associated with clumps of aggregated proteins. Cells have molecular machines made of chaperone proteins that can stop protein aggregation. We are testing if a special nerve cell chaperone is involved in these processes in the brain and if we can manipulate this chaperone to affect the development or effects of the aggregates. This research could highlight this special chaperone as a potential new target for the development of treatments for several forms of dementia and neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Motor neuron disease.