- Publication Date：01/12/2011
- Source： Taiwan Today
- By Kwangyin Liu
A Taiwan physicist and his overseas collaborators have made a discovery that could lead to a cure for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, Academia Sinica, the nation’s top research institution, said Jan. 11.
The researchers have identified a number of key factors governing protein aggregation, a process thought to play an important role in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, the institution explained.
Hu Chin-kun, a research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Laboratory of Statistical and Computational Physics, made his finding together with researchers from Poland, the United States and Vietnam.
They used a lattice model to study the aggregation rates of proteins, according to the team.
“Our team hopes to formulate a general theory of protein aggregation within three to five years, with our aim being to help find a way for treating neurodegenerative diseases,” Hu said.
The group’s results have been published in Physical Review Letters, an international peer-reviewed journal.
Hu has also worked with Ma Wen-jong, professor of applied physics at National Chengchi University, on a similar topic. The two have jointly published four articles in Journal of the Physical Society of Japan.
Often referred to as the “silent epidemic,” neurodegenerative diseases have no known cure. Onset of the illnesses is often accompanied by symptoms such as dementia, loss of speech and loss of balance. (HZW)
Write to Kwangyin Liu at kwangyin.liu@mail.gio.gov.tw
Source:
taiwantoday.tw
