Health Problems

Sugar-coating proteins can help understand brain disease

A University of Dundee discovery has the potential to help scientists better understand neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Researchers, led by Professor Daan van Aalten in the University’s School of Life Sciences, have developed a new way to tag proteins in human cells with a small sugar molecule called O-GlcNAc. There are over […]

Health News

Protein-linked sugars are crucial for the uptake of proteins linked to Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 6 million people worldwide, is caused by the buildup of alpha-synuclein proteins in the brain. The biological function of alpha-synuclein is still not well understood, but because of its role in neurodegenerative diseases, researchers are actively studying this protein to understand the mechanisms of the disease […]

Health Problems

A precise look at Alzheimer’s proteins

A substance known as amyloid beta protein gets a lot of attention from scientists. Beta amyloid, as it’s also called, is a normal brain protein found in everyone, but for an unknown reason it gunks up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, forming deposits that are the classic hallmark of the disease. A […]

Health News

From coffee to chocolate: These are power foods for the brain

Try out these easy-to-find power foods to improve the functioning of your brain, keep it from aging, and boost your memory. The brain plays a key role in just about every major body system. Some of its main functions include processing sensory information, remembering, problem-solving, thinking, feeling, coordination and balance, among others. So, naturally, it might […]

Personal Health

Stray proteins cause genetic disorders

The seizures typically begin in the first months of life. It often takes years, however, before those suffering from the rare glucose transporter type 1 (Glut1) deficiency syndrome obtain a correct diagnosis. If the disorder goes untreated, affected children experience developmental delay and frequently have neurological problems. Various defects in one gene underlie the syndrome. […]

Health Problems

RUNX proteins act as regulators in DNA repair, study finds

A study by researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore has revealed that RUNX proteins are integral to efficient DNA repair via the Fanconi Anemia (FA) pathway. Led by Professor Yoshiaki Ito, Senior Principal Investigator at CSI Singapore, and involving Senior Research Scientist Dr. Vaidehi Krishnan […]