Tai-Yen Chen, a chemist from the University of Houston, is conducting a study to explore the link between a person's exposure to molecules of copper protein in the brain cells and the risks of suffering from a neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer's.
"For 100 years, scientists have continued to search for answers to Alzheimer's disease and the many potential causes, but none of them have been proven successful. Up until today, no one really knows why some people suffer from Alzheimer's and others do not," Chen said. He was recently awarded by the National Institute of General Medical Science funding amounting to $1.9 million dollars to further develop his theory that the copper protein balance in every cell in the brain may be the culprit to people developing and suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Copper is considered an essential nutrient in the growth of cells in the human brain. They help the neurons receive and deliver messages all throughout the body. Every healthy cells have a certain amount of copper that is strictly regulated to remain at a certain level. Scientists from long ago have already uncovered the fact that patients with Alzheimer's disease have an unusually high level of copper on brain cells, which basically became the signature of the degenerative disease.
"The findings were unusual and we wanted to learn more about it," Chen said. His study will be looking into the biological regulation of copper levels in brain cells to help doctors identify potential cases of Alzheimer's disease. The abnormal growth of copper in the cells will be a clear indicator that will establish the link between the two. There are several other degenerative diseases that are linked to the imbalance of copper in the human brain. Menkes disease, a nervous system disorder that is characterized by low levels of copper, while Wilson disease is a genetic disorder that is caused by having too much copper present in the head.
"We want to know how the cells are able to regulate the copper levels inside them to be able to achieve the optimum amount of copper level," said Chen. He will be working mostly cells from the brain and the liver. "The study will be employing a unique method of looking into individual cells to be able to identify its behavior. The process will be repeated in all the other cells that will become part of the study to get the information needed. The collective behavior of these cells will help us uncover the facts we need to better understand the relationship between copper content in cells."
When the study is able to figure out how the regulation of copper content in cells is done naturally, particularly between normal, healthy cells and diseased ones, the findings will truly shed light on the overall pathology of Alzheimer's disease.
