Search liu.se

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease and scrapie are brain diseases for which there is currently no cure. But now, with the aid of a particular molecule, LiU researchers may be able to prevent destructive prions causing cell death in the brain.

Researchers from LiU have developed a molecule that changes colour when it binds to different forms of cellulose. The researchers demonstrate how the molecule can be used to make rapid, optical measurements of cellulose quality.

Molecules that change colour can be used to follow in real-time how bacteria form a protective biofilm around themselves. This new method may become significant both in medical care and the food industry, where bacterial biofilms are a problem.

“Even though I’m a professor now, I still spend a lot of time in the lab, as I know that when I’m working hands on, that’s when I get the new ideas,” says Peter Nilsson. He develops tracer molecules that are used in research into Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists are now able to label proteins in the brains of mice who have a disease similar to Alzheimer’s disease. The new method allows the researchers to observe how harmful protein aggregates develop over a longer time period.

Two diseases that affect the brain, Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy, show the same characteristics. Scientists have now shown that tracer molecules developed at LiU can distinguish between these diseases.

The brain of a person with Alzheimer´s disease often contains several different types of amyloid plaque. This was shown in a study in which tracer molecules developed at LiU were used to study brain tissue from patients.