Discovery that will bring hope to Alzheimer's! The mechanism that triggers the disease has been solved

There is promising news from Turkish scientists in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, which affects millions of people and has no definitive treatment yet. Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk announced that they discovered an important cellular pathway that triggers the disease in a doctoral study they conducted and that they were able to stop this process.

How was the production of "toxic protein" in the cell stopped?

Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk shared the details of the study they conducted with his doctoral student Res. Asst. İrem Gülfem Albayrak. Prof. Dr. Konuk explained the process as follows: “We were examining the formation of amyloid plaques that cause Alzheimer’s. There are proteins in the cell membrane that work as ion channels. Ions passing through these channels change the acidity balance (pH) inside the cell. When this acidity changes, the production of toxic proteins that cause Alzheimer’s is triggered. In our study, we were able to change the gene expression of the protein that initiates this process and revealed how the harmful process can be prevented. This means discovering a new pathway in cellular metabolism.”

The next goal is to develop a treatment

Stating that the next goal after this important discovery is to develop a treatment that will regulate this mechanism naturally, Prof. Dr. Konuk said, “The next step is to find a drug molecule that will ensure the healthy functioning of this protein, and if possible, will be obtained from plants or other organisms. When we achieve this, we aim to prevent Alzheimer's disease before it even occurs. In other words, that person will not get Alzheimer's.”

Advice to young scientists…

Emphasizing that great patience and dedication lie behind this success, Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk also gave important advice to young scientists. Stating that the most important characteristic of being a scientist is patience and trying over and over again without getting tired, Prof. Dr. Konuk said, "There should be no expectation of money behind this work. It is not possible to measure the pleasure this work gives to a person with anything else. You will patiently pursue that work and never give up, fixated on the subject like a cat fixated on its prey. People who receive basic molecular biology and genetics training and have laboratory experience will be very successful in this regard. Believe me, this field will be one of the 7-8 brightest fields of the coming years."