David Rubinsztein: Autophagy 2.0: An Anecdote for Poisonous Proteins in Neurodegenerative Disorders

Accumulation of toxic proteins in neurons that wither and die is a fundamental problem in neurodegenerative disorders - Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Frontotemporal dementia, ALS, and Huntington’s disease. In this episode Professor David Rubinsztein at the University of Cambridge talks about how impaired autophagy results in the accumulation of the toxic proteins.  Aging, and genetic and environmental factors may impair autophagy and thereby result in neurodegenerative disease. Neuroscientists and neurologists are developing ways to stimulate autophagy and thereby prevent the accumulation of toxic proteins.

LINKS:

Professor Rubinsztein’s lab page: 

https://www.cimr.cam.ac.uk/staff/professor-david-rubinsztein-fmedsci-frs

Review on autophagy in neurodegenerative disorders:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8930707/pdf/nihms-1771452.pdf

Article on removing toxic proteins in neurodegenerative disorders:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6456907/pdf/nihms-1007879.pdf

Impaired autophagy and amyloid accumulation in Alzheimer’s disease:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9174056/pdf/41593_2022_Article_1084.pdf