When: May 17, 15:00–16:30 CET

Speaker: Trevor Forsyth, Director of the LINXS Institute of Advanced Neutron and X-ray Science

Title: Bridging the gap between fundamental and clinical research for amyloidosis

Where:  MAX IV Laboratory, Fotongatan 2, Lund

Coffee will be served at 15:00 and the seminar begins at 15:15. Please plan to arrive early for check-in. Feel free to stay and mingle after the talk.

No registration needed. Read more on the event webpage

Abstract: Transthyretin amyloidosis is an invariably fatal disease that arises from the misfolding of a protein called transthyretin (TTR) that normally transports the hormone thyroxine  and vitamin A in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The misfolded protein aggregates, forming filamentous amyloid plaques that clog up and compromise key tissues and organs in the body, including the heart and nervous system. At a molecular level it  has much in common with other progressive conditions such as Alzheimers’ disease. Combined X-ray and neutron diffraction studies have been used in conjunction with mass spectrometry, molecular dynamics, and electron microscopy to probe the molecular mechanisms underlying TTR amyloiodosis as well as candidate drugs for therapeutic use.  A crucial aspect of this type of work is the linkup between the fundamental science based on in vitro results from laboratory-produced samples, ex vivo samples from diseased tissue, and in vivo studies from afflicted patients under clinical supervision. The gap between the fundamental and clinical sciences -  historically a quite challenging one – is steadily narrowing  and the large facilities such as MAX-IV and ESS and the integrative environment planned for the Science Village in Brunnshög is set to play a vital role.