Can Molecular Tweezers Beat Parkinson's?

Parkinson's disease, a disorder of the Central Nervous system that leads to shaking and difficultly in walking a movement, is a growing problem in the world today. Millions of people are affected by this disease as this population ages. While scientists are not one hundred percent sure of the cause of this disease, research leads to the alpha-synuclein protein. This protein clumps together which leads to the killing of brain neurons.

Scientists at UCLA have developed a compound known as "molecular tweezers" to help remove these protein clumps. In an animal experiment, this compound stopped the aggregates toxicity and reversed aggregates in the brain that had already formed, all without interfering with the brain. This compound could be useful in combating more than 30 other diseases that are caused by protein aggregation in the brain with a resulting toxicity. The main obstacle is finding a therapy that targets only the aggregates. The compound, called CLR01, is shaped like the letter "C," and the compounds wrap around chains of lysine. The testing started in cell cultures, then went on to testing zebra-fish, and now is testing mice. Hopefully, this will lead to human clinical trials soon.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/alzheimer's/