Science Straight Up

Judy Muller and George Lewis

Tau: Untangling Early Alzheimer's Detection--Dr. Lukasz Joachimiak

JUL 5, 202621 MIN

Description

Tau, a protein, normally supports brain cells’ internal structure; Dr. Lukasz Joachimiak, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, is focused on what happens when it does not. His lab uses computational and experimental methods to determine how and why tau gets tangled and forms the toxic aggregates found with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The hope is to come up with ways of detecting Alzheimer's and treating it early, before the destruction of brain cells is underway. His cutting-edge research uses A.I.-powered computer simulations to come up with synthetic molecules that might prove effective in fighting brain diseases.