Neuroscientists have identified a key protein that exacerbates brain diseases, such as Huntington’s disease, which could provide insights for future drug development, Academia Sinica said yesterday.
Siew Jian-jing (蕭建靖), the lead scientist of the research published on Aug. 2 in the journal Nature Communications, said the team has found the novel role of galectin-3 (GAL3) in promoting microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, which subsequently worsens neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s.
The team developed its experiment based on the model of Huntington’s disease, which causes progressive deterioration of motor and cognitive functions, and used mice as subjects, observing their life cycle over 14 weeks under the effects of the disease, Siew said.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
“Through injection of a virus that suppresses GAL3, we have been able to extend the mice’s lives by roughly five days, while we could also significantly increase their movement performance,” Siew said.
Healthy mice generally live up to two to three years.
GAL3 accumulates in active microglia, prohibiting cells from clearing damaged materials and even triggering more severe inflammation, Siew said.
It is therefore important to develop a GAL3 inhibitor and slow down the course of the disease, Academia Sinica distinguished research fellow Chern Yi-juang (陳儀莊) said, adding that the team is working with the glycomedicine science branch at the institute.
Once they succeed in developing an inhibitor, the researchers could proceed to the next phase, which is clinical trials, Chern said.
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