Role of proteostasis and organelle homeostasis in brain resilience during aging

Aging is — in part — the result of a breakdown in the body's ability to produce proteins. Neurons are particularly vulnerable to this breakdown, which increases the risk of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimers and dementia. The brain’s vulnerability to misfolded proteins increases with age, as can be seen in the accumulation of aberrant clumps of misfolded protein that correlates with neurodegeneration in aged brains. But exactly how and why aging impacts cells’ ability to properly produce proteins is still unknown. By combining biochemistry, genetics and cell biology with advanced microscopy and Artificial Intelligence, this team aims to define how and why proper organelle and protein functions inside cells break down with aging, leading to disease. This research may lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches against neurodegenerative diseases and potentially aging itself.