Scientists make discovery in Alzheimer's (molecular janitors)

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060810/ap_on_he_me/toxic_a...

Scientists make discovery in Alzheimer's

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Thu Aug 10, 7:09 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered molecular janitors that clear away a sticky gunk blamed for Alzheimer's disease — until they get old and quit sweeping up.


The finding helps explain why Alzheimer's is a disease of aging. More importantly, it suggests a new weapon: drugs that give nature's cleanup crews a boost.

"It's a whole new way of thinking in the Alzheimer's field," said Dr. Andrew Dillin, a biologist at California's Salk Institute for Biological Studies who led the new research.

The discovery, published Thursday by the journal Science, was made in a tiny roundworm called C. elegans.

What do worms have to do with people? They're commonly used in age-related genetics research, and the new work involves a collection of genes that people harbor, too. Dillin's team from Salk and the neighboring Scripps Research Institute already is on the trail of potential drug candidates.

[Lindacooks]

1. That's really cool!

And just think of all the advances in medicine we'll make when we've kicked the neocons to the curb. K&R

[Botany]

2. Knowledge is good

time to cast out the snake handlers form our schools.

[truthisfreedom]

3. excellent. i need some molecular janitors to clean the steam out of my

ears after seeing all this political hay bushco is making out of a plot they didn't even foil.

[enough]

4. That's good news. My 85-year old father is on the "Alzheimers Journey."

This will probably be too late for him, but encouraging for the rest of us.

I recently found a wonderful forum for communicating with other Alzheimers/dementia caretakers. It's been a great help for finding useful information and hashing out issues with those who are in the middle of it. I think of this as my "other DU."

http://alzheimers.infopop.cc/eve/forums

[garthranzz]

8. Thanks for the link.

My father has it too.

[skip fox]

5. I saw its terrible effects on my father, who only lived a few years

with it and didn't reach the latter stages until, abruptly, a few months before his death. Even for that short period of true Altzheimer's it was profoundly sad.

[one_true_leroy]

6. worms...

C. elegans is a model organism because it has a relatively small genome that is very well-characterized, easily manipulated, and they live/breed quickly. Genes don't really care much what organism they're in, as long as there are no conflicting genes. Genetic mechanics are the same irrespective of host. Genes were the first platform-independent programs.

[smiley_glad_hands]

7. So much for evolution, huh? Worms? Humans?

My grandmother passed away with alzheimers, terrible way to die.

On edit: Thats sarcasm in the subject line.