Alzheimer's rat created for human research
Prof. Claudio Cuello at McGill University and his collaborators have genetically manipulated rats that can emulate Alzheimer's disease in humans, enabling research that will include the development of new treatments.
Alzheimer's is a devastating brain condition leading to a progressive decline of memory and other brain functions. Although research mice have been developed in the past, rats are more intelligent than other rodents and the behavior of these rats is rich and predictable, which means that for the first time researchers will be able to detect and study the evolution of learning and memory deficits.
Moreover, researchers can now study a suspected “latent phase” of Alzheimer's disease. The disease is caused by the accumulation in the brain of molecules known as peptides.
This accumulation has been repeated in lab mice, but the human condition develops through different stages and these rats enable this progression to be mimicked for the first time. Studies of this phase were previously impossible as humans do not have biochemical markers that would allow the development of Alzheimer's to be predicted.
Media Contact
More Information:
http://www.mcgill.caAll latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry
Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.
Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.
Newest articles
Microscopic basis of a new form of quantum magnetism
Not all magnets are the same. When we think of magnetism, we often think of magnets that stick to a refrigerator’s door. For these types of magnets, the electronic interactions…
An epigenome editing toolkit to dissect the mechanisms of gene regulation
A study from the Hackett group at EMBL Rome led to the development of a powerful epigenetic editing technology, which unlocks the ability to precisely program chromatin modifications. Understanding how…
NASA selects UF mission to better track the Earth’s water and ice
NASA has selected a team of University of Florida aerospace engineers to pursue a groundbreaking $12 million mission aimed at improving the way we track changes in Earth’s structures, such…
