Beta amyloid structure mapped in new Alzheimer’s research
In search of a possible cure for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), scientists have found out the molecular structure of a type of protein called beta amyloid that accumulates within brain cells, eventually killing them. This could help understand how to prevent these abnormal proteins from forming, leading to a cure or treatment for this killer disease.
AD is a progressive disorder afflicting over 5 million Americans. It inflicts a heavy cost on the victim and the caregiver, as it slowly sucks away memory, thinking, and judgment, leaving behind a vacuum in personality. No cure is currently known.
The brains of AD patients contain characteristic tangles and plaques caused by the accumulation of two types of abnormal proteins, namely, tau and beta amyloid respectively. There is no consensus as to how these are formed, or their actual role in the disease process. However, they are ubiquitous in this patient group.
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