New microscopy method provides unprecedented look at amyloid protein structure
A new technique developed in the lab of Matthew Lew at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis measures the orientation of single molecules. It is enabling, for the first time, optical microscopy to reveal nanoscale details about the structures of these problematic proteins.
Racial differences in Alzheimer’s disease unveiled
A new study at the School of Medicine finds disparities between African-Americans and Caucasians in a key biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease — suggesting that tools to diagnose the disease in Caucasian populations may not work as well in African-Americans.
Cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s genetically linked
In the largest genetic study of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the School of Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco, have found that genes that increase risk of cardiovascular disease also heighten the risk for Alzheimer’s.
Drug compound halts Alzheimer’s-related damage in mice
Researchers at the School of Medicine have shown that levels of tau protein can be reduced – and some of the neurological damage caused by tau even reversed – by a synthetic molecule that targets genetic instructions. The findings are important for Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.
$4 million grant expands major study to find Alzheimer’s prevention treatments
The School of Medicine has received a $4.3 million award from the Alzheimer’s Association to expand a major international clinical trial evaluating whether drugs can prevent Alzheimer’s disease in patients genetically predisposed to develop the devastating disease at a young age.
Brain imaging links Alzheimer’s decline to tau protein
Using a new imaging agent that binds to tau protein and makes it visible in positron emission tomography (PET) scans, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that measures of tau are better markers of the cognitive decline characteristic of Alzheimer’s than measures of amyloid beta seen in PET scans.
Brain’s ability to dispose of key Alzheimer’s protein drops dramatically with age
The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is advancing age. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified some of the key changes in the aging brain that lead to the increased risk. The changes center on amyloid beta 42,
a main ingredient of Alzheimer’s brain plaques.
Bateman receives MetLife Award for Alzheimer’s research
Randall J. Bateman, MD, the Charles F. and Joanne
Knight Distinguished Professor of Neurology at the
School of Medicine, has received a MetLife Foundation Award
for Medical Research. Bateman, a leader in Alzheimer’s disease research, is the university’s fifth researcher to receive the prize.
Midlife changes in Alzheimer’s biomarkers may predict dementia
Studying brain scans and cerebrospinal fluid of healthy
adults, scientists have shown that changes in key markers of
Alzheimer’s disease during midlife may help identify those who will
develop dementia years later, according to new research.
Scientists find new link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s
Researchers have uncovered a unique connection between
diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, providing further evidence that a
disease that robs people of their memories may be affected by elevated blood sugar, according to scientists at
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
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