AAIC 2021 | Emerging concepts: boosting protein quality control to treat neurodegenerative disease

Anne Bertolotti, PhD, FMedSci, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK, discusses proteostasis as an emerging target in neurodegeneration. The aggregation of misfolded proteins is a common hallmark of several debilitating neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The proteins that aggregate in these diseases are expressed throughout an individual’s lifespan, yet disease onset is not until later life. While it is not fully understood, protein quality control appears to deteriorate with age in these individuals, leading to abnormal aggregation. Dr Bertolotti’s lab have dedicated years of research into understanding the potential benefit of manipulating protein quality control systems in neurodegenerative diseases. This interview took place during the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021.