EMPA studied how copper alters a protein playing a role in disease
EMPA researchers Peter Nirmalraj, Olena Synhaivska and Silvia Campioni (right to left) have made progress in understanding Parkinson’s disease. © EMPA
Published on 25.08.2022
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Sciences » Doctor Peter Nirmalraj does not flame. He does not speak of major scientific progress. “But it’s a further step in basic research,” he says. His team in the Transport at Nanoscale Interfaces lab at EMPA observed abnormal shapes of alpha-synuclein proteins linked to environmental copper pollution, which may play a important in the development of Parkinson’s disease. Although the link between long-term exposure to a large quantity of this metal and pathology has been known for a long time, this study, carried out in collaboration with the University of Limerick in Ireland and the Cantonal Hospital of Saint-Gall, leads to a