The 1st steps in how a common gene mutation causes brain damage associated with both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) have been found by Johns Hopkins researchers. Altered C9orf72 gene on human chromosome 9, causes RNA molecules to block critical pathways for protein transport, causing a molecular traffic jam outside brain cell nuclei and affecting their operations and survival. In a proof-of-concept experiment, a molecular therapy eased the jam and restored molecular flow into the cell’s core.
The mutation, the most comm...
Read More
Recent Comments