Investigating molecular assemblies on Alzheimer's related beta-amyloid fibrils

ORGN 328

Petra Inbar, Cui Li, Stacy Takayama, Mahealani R. Bautista, and Jerry Yang, jerryyang@ucsd.edu. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, MC 0358, La Jolla, CA 92093-0358
This talk will describe the use of small molecules to generate protein-resistive coatings on the surface of Alzheimer's related β-amyloid fibrils. The interaction of aggregated forms of β-amyloid peptides with cellular proteins in the brain have been suggested to play a pathological role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We will discuss the inhibition of protein-amyloid interactions using synthetic molecules that bind to Alzheimer's related β-amyloid fibrils. We will also present a method to screen for small molecules that bind to β-amyloid fibrils and the potential application of these molecules as lead compounds for the development of therapeutics and diagnostics for AD.