Critical finding at Ben-Gurion University reveals atomic structure of a protein link between Type 2 diabetes & neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s.
By Abigail Klein Leichman
Israeli chemist Yifat Miller and her PhD student Yoav Atsmon-Raz have found a critical link between Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Scientist Yifat Miller at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheva. – Photo: Dani Machlis/BGU
Miller’s research at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev in Beersheva revealed, for the first time, the atomic structure of a brain protein fragment called non-amyloid beta component (NAC), known to trigger PD when it clumps together.
The same clumping action by an endocrine hormone called amylin harms insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, leading to T2D. Continue Reading »