All processes such as wound healing, hair growth, and the replacement of old cells with new ones depend on cell division. During this process, chromosomes inside the cell must be evenly divided between two daughter cells. Even slight errors can lead to cellular abnormalities.

A research team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has recently uncovered new clues suggesting that a protein called tau plays an important role in this highly regulated process. The findings were published in the international journal Nature Communications.

A team led by HHMI Janelia Research Campus Group Leader Jiefu Li identified proteins that help control how the blood-brain barrier opens and closes, findings that could help researchers design drug delivery strategies for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease that more effectively reach the brain.

A new study finds that combining the current medications for Alzheimer’s disease with small molecules derived from micronutrients found in grapes, berries, peanuts and turmeric is a safer and more effective way to treat the disease.