Current research suggests that neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Creutzfeldt-Jacob may be linked to disorders in protein shape referred to as protein misfolding. Continued study in this area could lead to promising advances in future treatment of these diseases. This groundbreaking text describes the latest findings regarding protein misfolding in the context of it being a marker, and perhaps a cause, in neurodegenerative diseases. Comprehensive coverage includes the diverse biochemical targets/markers for each disease, the currently limited success of drug therapies, and the cutting-edge research that could lead to more promising treatments.

Offering all the latest in the study of neurodegenerative diseases, this book reviews the molecular events initiated by unfolded or misfolded proteins leading to conformational human diseases, especially those found in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Aimed at "drug discoverers" – i.e. any scientist who is interested in neurodegenerative diseases in general, and in finding disease-modifying treatments in particular – the first edition of Molecular Targets in Protein Misfolding and Neurodegenerative Disease will contain both a detailed, discipline-specific coverage (paragraphs on medicinal chemistry, on clinical and preclinical characterization of compounds in development, on target identification and validation, on genetic factors influencing a pathology, etc.) and a drug discovery-oriented, overall evaluation of each target (validation, druggability, existing leads, etc.). Together these will satisfy the needs of various audiences, including in vitro biologists, pharmacologists, medicinal chemists, etc. - Written to provide a comprehensive coverage of disease-modifying mechanisms and compounds against neurodegenerative diseases - Provides a "drug discovery application oriented perspective, evaluating targets and candidates for their overall therapeutic potential - Provides discipline-specific chapters (medicinal chemistry, target validation, preclinical and clinical development - Provides an overview on a number of molecular mechanisms (e.g. phosphorylation, chaperon refolding, ubiquitination, autophagy, microtubule transportation, protease cleavage, etc.) with relevance for any disease area - Contains a more thorough description of the therapeutic relevance of ~10 specific molecular targets

This book is a neurochemistry-based companion for Protein Misfolding and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Molecular Targets, an Elsevier title by the same author publishing in December 2014. While the first book focuses on biology and molecular targets, this companion book describes how these targets are regulated by small molecules and disease-modifying compounds. The book begins with a brief introduction to how key proteins become dysfunctional, and each subsequent chapter describes major disease mechanisms in Alzheimer's and other tauopathies. Properties and development status of these molecular targets and disease mechanisms are thoroughly described, as are small molecule effectors of autophagy and dis-aggregating agents. - Written to provide comprehensive coverage of neurodegenerative disease-modifying compounds - Provides discipline-specific chapters that cover medicinal chemistry and clinical applications - Provides an overview of more than 200 chemical classes and lead compounds, acting on selected molecular targets that are of relevance to any neurodegenerative disorder - Coverage of misfolding diseases, chaperone proteins, ubiquitination and autophagy/oncology makes this book suitable for structural neurochemists, chemists, biologists, non-CNS scientists, and scientists interested in drug discovery

Neurological illnesses pose one of the biggest hazards to the healthcare system today. This new book brings together the latest methods of gene therapy that can be used to treat both inherited and sporadic neurodegenerative diseases. It presents the most significant advances in gene transfer methods as well as the most recent understandings of the mechanisms behind specific neurodegenerative illnesses, placing these into the context of gene therapy approaches for the central nervous system. The book introduces the basics of neurodegenerative conditions and the physiological basis for their occurrence in humans. It also discusses the various proteins useful in neuro diseases and their viral applications. The book explores how stem cells can be used to learn about the future of gene therapy along with the significance of the sequences that silence genes. It discusses the functions of astrocytes in different brain regions, as well as in-vivo research in gene therapy for neurodegenerative disorders.

Prions and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Volume 172, in the Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science series, provides the most topical, informative and exciting monographs available on a wide variety of research topics. The series includes in-depth knowledge on the molecular biological aspects of organismal physiology, with this release including chapters on Cell-free amplification of prions: where do we stand? Transgenic mouse models for the study of prion diseases and much more. - Includes comprehensive coverage of molecular biology - Presents ample use of tables, diagrams, schemata and color figures to enhance the reader's ability to rapidly grasp the information provided - Contains contributions from renowned experts in the field - Includes comprehensive coverage of molecular biology - Presents ample use of tables, diagrams, schemata and color figures to enhance the reader's ability to rapidly grasp the information provided - Contains contributions from renowned experts in the field

This book introduces characteristic features of the protein structure prediction (PSP) problem. It focuses on systematic selection and improvement of the most appropriate metaheuristic algorithm to solve the problem based on a fitness landscape analysis, rather than on the nature of the problem, which was the focus of methodologies in the past. Protein structure prediction is concerned with the question of how to determine the three-dimensional structure of a protein from its primary sequence. Recently a number of successful metaheuristic algorithms have been developed to determine the native structure, which plays an important role in medicine, drug design, and disease prediction. This interdisciplinary book consolidates the concepts most relevant to protein structure prediction (PSP) through global non-convex optimization. It is intended for graduate students from fields such as computer science, engineering, bioinformatics and as a reference for researchers and practitioners.

With the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases on the rise as average life expectancy increases, the hunt for effective treatments and preventive measures for these disorders is a pressing challenge. Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have been termed ‘protein misfolding disorders’ that are char- terized by the neural accumulation of protein aggregates. Manipulation of the cellular stress response involving the induction of heat shock proteins offers a the- peutic strategy to counter conformational changes in neural proteins that trigger pathogenic cascades resulting in neurodegenerative diseases. Heat shock proteins are protein repair agents that provide a line of defense against misfolded, aggregati- prone proteins. Heat Shock Proteins and the Brain: Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Neuroprotection reviews current progress on neural heat shock proteins (HSP) in relation to neurodegenerative diseases (Part I), neuroprotection (Part II), ext- cellular HSP (Part III) and aging and control of life span (Part IV). Key basic and clinical research laboratories from major universities and hospitals around the world contribute chapters that review present research activity and importantly project the field into the future. The book is a must read for researchers, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in the fields of Neuroscience, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Molecular Medicine, Aging, Physiology, Pharmacology and Pathology.

This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact.

Research indicates that most neurodegenerative diseases, systemic amyloidoses and many others, arise from the misfolding and aggregation of an underlying protein. This is the first book to discuss significant achievements in protein structure-function relationships in biochemistry, molecular biology and molecular medicine. The authors summarize recent progress in the understanding of the relationships between protein misfolding, aggregation and development of protein deposition disorders.