Nanopore-Based Sensing Device Explores Neurodegenerative Diseases

In Journal of Applied Physics, researchers present a special silicon nitride nanopore-based sensing device that is designed to provide volume information about tau and tubulin protein molecules and their aggregation states. To create the sensor, the team explored how the proteins change the current and voltage flowing through a nanopore system.

Study yields clues to why Alzheimer’s disease damages certain parts of the brain

A study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis yields clues to why certain parts of the brain are particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer’s damage. It comes down to the gene APOE, the greatest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The parts of the brain where APOE is most active are the areas that sustain the most damage, they found.

Researchers make significant step toward blood test for Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a technique to detect minute amounts of a protein fragment linked to Alzheimer’s disease in the blood. The study, which will be published July 28 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), shows that levels of p-tau-217 are elevated during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and could lead to a simple blood test capable of diagnosing the neurodegenerative disorder years before any symptoms begin to appear.

研究显示,基因变异可能会增加阿尔茨海默病蛋白tau累积的易感性

有毒蛋白tau是阿尔茨海默病患者大脑中的一个关键生物学特征。然而,使人对tau累积产生易感性或抵抗性的因素目前尚未明确。Mayo Clinic的一项初步研究表明,遗传的DNA变异可能与老年人出现的tau累积有关。这项研究将在4月25日至5月1日在多伦多举行的美国神经病学学会第72届年会上公开发表。

Gene variants may increase susceptibility to accumulate Alzheimer’s protein tau, study shows

The toxic protein tau is a key biological feature in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Yet the factors that make people susceptible or resistant to tau accumulation are not well-understood. A preliminary Mayo Clinic study shows that inherited DNA variants may be associated with developing tau deposits in older adults. The research will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 25–May 1.