image: Transmission Electron Microscope images of α-synuclein aggregates. view more
Credit: <i>PNAS</i>
Researchers report the identification of a small molecule called SynuClean-D, which disrupts amyloid fibrils and inhibits the aggregation of α-synuclein, both of which are pathogenic processes in Parkinson's disease; in trials using animal neurodegeneration models, SynuClean-D reduced the toxicity of α-synuclein, prevented amyloid fiber propagation, and reversed degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, suggesting that SynuClean-D may represent a possible therapeutic for neurodegeneration.
###
Article #18-04198: "Small molecule inhibits α-synuclein aggregation, disrupts amyloid fibrils, and prevents degeneration of dopaminergic neurons," by Jordi Pujols et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Salvador Ventura, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, SPAIN; e-mail: salvador.ventura@uab.es
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences