This project aims to enhance our understanding of the complex biochemical processes involved in Alzheimer's disease and overcome existing limitations in amyloid research by developing an analytical system capable of detecting amyloid concentration during the aggregation stage and advancing drug development in this field.
Collaborator directors: Adina-Luminita Milac, Laurentiu Spiridon
Alzheimer's disease is a severe, chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with memory and cognition impairment ultimately leading to death.
Discovering improved disease modifying therapies against Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major challenge of this century.
The complete biochemical process of Alzeimer desease is still partly unknown due to its complexity. Despite the significance of amyloid formation, little research progress had been made due to the limited number of effective analytical methods and probably for the lack of any method to analyze the physiology of amyloid aggregation. For this desease there is no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and it is a strong need to continue the research activity in this field.
The aggregation of Amyloid-beta is a pivotal process in Alzheimer’s disease. This aggregation produces many intermediates with different cell toxicity. These ones aggregate on neuron where they form β-sheets which provoke neuronal death. In spite of its importance, the reaction is however not fully understood yet because the aggregation is dynamic and multi-parameter process: it is influenced by concentration of amyloid-beta, metallic ions, pH, temperature, redox potentials, etc.
Thus, it is critically important to develop an analytical system that can detect amyloid concentration in its aggregate forming step which would be a more suitable candidate to predict Alzheimer’s disease. Although, it is difficult to devise an analytical system for in-vivo operation, in-vitro microreactor coupled with suitable detection system can easily analyze the protein molecules. Such microfluidic reactors can be miniaturized in the form of microchips using soft-lithographic techniques (NANOM MEMS SRL has a large expertise in this field). These microsystems can be used in the development of drugs against this disease.
Laurentiu Spiridon is a researcher in the Institute of Biochemistry of the Romanian Academy. Laurentiu is currently working in Bioinformatics & Structural Biochemistry in the Bioinformatics & Structural Biochemistry.
The study of Amyloid-beta formation mechanism.
Laurentiu Spiridon – Principal Investigator
Robi Tacutu - Scientific Researcher
Marius Surleac – Postodctoral Student
Eliza-Cristina martin – PhD Student
Sorin Draga – PhD Student
Mihai Ionita – PhD Student
Manoliu LCE, Martin EC, Milac AL, Spiridon L. Effective Use of Empirical Data for Virtual Screening against APJR GPCR Receptor. Molecules. 2021 Aug 12;26(16):4894. doi: 10.3390/molecules26164894. PMID: 34443478; PMCID: PMC8399775.
IF: 4.6 AIS: 0.67
Romanian Academy