Though Alzheimer’s disease is often described as a buildup of proteins in the brain in the form of plaques and tangles, a new study by University of Calgary researchers has shown how the brain interacts with the vascular system might hold another important clue to the disease.

The discovery, which focused on a protein called CD2AP, could dramatically change how the disease is perceived and treated, says the study’s principal investigator. Dr. Minh Dang Nguyen, PhD.

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers have created a new method for studying protein degradation within immune cells that uses engineered microparticles to track and analyze degradation processes more effectively than traditional methods.

The work, which was published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, has important implications for treating diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and autoimmune disorders.