Culprit Iron in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s – Cause
The cause of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases has long intrigued scientists. Researchers of University of Warwick and IIT, Kanpur, zeroed in on a protein, the malfunctioning of which, they say, could be a possible cause for the diseases.
The study noted that transferring, a protein that transports iron from the blood to the brain, may not be doing its job well. That may lead to exposure of other cells to iron, and their subsequent degeneration and the diseases. The protein binds iron on to its surface. It then curls around the iron and seals it. This prevents the iron from getting exposed to other cells till it reaches its destination organ—the brain.
In the experiment, transferring was placed on an open surface and observed over a period of time.
Filed under India, Livelihood, Research | Tags: * Neurology, India, Research | Comment (0)“We simulated conditions for ageing so that the existing molecules interacted with each other. We found the molecules self-assembled into fibres and iron that was earlier wrapped inside the protein started settling in bands along the length of the fibre,’ Continue reading »