Now, in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Yale School of Medicine researchers report they have been able to prevent the buildup of alpha-synuclein in a mouse model of Parkinson’s, more than doubling how long the animals live.
More research is needed, but the findings could inform the development of new therapies that block the toxicity of alpha-synuclein.
Finding clues in models of ALS
Arthur Horwich, M.D., Sterling professor emeritus of genetics at Yale School of Medicine and senior author of the new study, has spent decades studying protein misfolding and its prevention by so-called molecular chaperones. These specialized proteins have been shown by his group and others to specifically bind not-yet-folded and misfolded proteins, preventing them from sticking to each other and forming harmful aggregates, and then releasing them to find their correct form.