Alzheimer’s
disease is one of the most devastating and emotionally painful diseases anyone
can experience. The main target audience of this disease is the elderly. Common
symptoms include hysteria, memory loss, and confusion. This is one of the most
common diseases and one of the most puzzling for researchers.
There have been no
breakthroughs for this disease until recently. Dr. Cohen and his team at St.
Johns College in Cambridge research has begun to reap rewards. Their research
showed “a molecule that
can interrupt an important stage in the development of Alzheimer's disease. The
molecule sticks to faulty proteins and stops them forming toxic clusters in the
brain” (Cohen). With this discovery for the first time a specific process has
been inhibited and its toxic effects can be halted (Cohen). Having the ability
to have countless hours of research finally pay off must be an outstanding
accomplishment and feeling. As I prepare myself for med-school I want my end
goal to be having this feeling with where ever I land.
A molecular chaperone breaks
the catalytic cycle that generates toxic Aβ oligomers, Samuel I.A. Cohen, et
al., Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, published online 16
February 2015, doi:10.1038/nsmb.2971, abstract.
No comments:
Post a Comment