CBB Member Zoya Leonenko, Biology, and Physics and Astronomy, is looking to support drug development that blocks toxic plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.
Leonenko says that a lack of understanding of Alzheimer's at the molecular level is one of the biggest obstacles to finding a cure. To address this, she is using advanced biphysics and nanotechnology methods in hopes of developing preventive strategies using molecules that work at the single molecular level.
Amyloid plaques found in brains affected by Alzheimer's consist of large amyloid deposits, grown from smaller amyloid aggregates called oligomers. These are toxic to neuronal cells, and cause cell death, explains Leonenko.
“Discovery of the best compound that inhibits oligomer formation may lead to a major breakthrough in drug development,” Leonenko says. “This will improve the health of our aging population and will have significant economic and societal impacts.”