| Event Name | IYCr2014 Melbourne public lecture series |
| Start Date | 17th Jul 2014 6:00pm |
| End Date | |
| Duration | N/A |
| Description | In the framework of the celebrations for the UN International Year of Crystallography at the University of Melbourne, Professor Michael Parker will present a public lecture at the Bio21 Institute in Melbourne, Parkville, Australia on the topic "Shining a light on Alzheimer's disease through X-ray crystallography". Abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common and devastating age-related disease with no effective disease-modifying treatments. Approximately, 34 million people worldwide are currently afflicted by AD and its prevalence is expected to triple over the next 40 years as people live longer. The mechanisms by which the disease progresses to cognitive decline in the sufferer are complex and not fully understood. A defining pathological feature is the deposition of extracellular plaques in the brain composed primarily of a peptide called amyloid beta (Aβ): a proteolytic breakdown product of the much larger Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP). Most pharmaceutical activity in AD research has focused on Aβ, its generation and clearance from the brain. Professor Michael Parker is Deputy Director of St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne where he heads its Structural Biology Laboratory and the ACRF Rational Drug Discovery Centre. He is an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow and a Professorial Fellow at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Bio21 Institute, Melbourne University. |
| Location | Melbourne Australia |
| Contact | Helen Varnavas info-bio21@unimelb.edu.au |
| URL | http://www.bio21.org/events-and-seminars/seminars/shining-a-light-on-alzheimer-s-disease-through-x-ray-crystallogr |
| Category | lectures |