Complexity in Protein Folding and Misfolding

Christopher Dobson (University of Cambridge)

 

Über den Vortrag
Protein folding is an essential step in the generation of evolved biological functionality within all living systems, and much is now understood about the underlying mechanism of this complex and ubiquitous process. Proteins can, however, misfold or fail to remain in their correctly folded states, and in some such cases this results in the formation of intractable aggregates known as amyloid fibrils. Interest in this phenomenon has developed with extraordinary rapidity in recent years, primarily because of the links between amyloid formation and a range of rapidly proliferating medical disorders. More than fifty diseases are now linked to this phenomenon and include neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, non-neuropathic organ specific disorders such as type II diabetes, and a range of systemic amyloidoses. This talk will illustrate how a combination of biophysical techniques has played a major role in recent dramatic advances in our knowledge of the structural and physical properties of the amyloid state, the kinetics and mechanism of its formation, the nature and origins of its links with disease, and the emerging opportunities for innovative approaches to therapeutic intervention. - Der Vortrag findet in englischer Sprache statt.

Über das Forschungsprojekt
Der Vortrag ist Teil der Pilotphase des Projektes »Komplexität in Wissenschaft, Kultur und Gesellschaft«, das von Harald Schwalbe (Professor für Organische Chemie und Sprecher des Exzellenzclusters »Makromolekulare Komplexe« an der Goethe-Universität) und Matthias Lutz-Bachmann (Professor für Philosophie und Direktor des Forschungskollegs Humanwissenschaften) geleitet wird.

Durchführuhng der Pilotphase mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Aventis Foundation.

Weitere Informationen: Dr. des. Elinor Schweighöfer, Projektkoordinatorin (schweighoefer@forschungskolleg-humanwissenschaften.de; Tel.: 06172 / 13977-14).