Text Size Normal Text Sizing Button Medium Text Sizing Button Large Text Sizing Button Text Contrast Normal Contrast Button Reverse Contrast Button Switch to Spanish Language Press Room Contact Us Sitemap Sign In Register
Link to Homepage About BrightFocus
BrightFocus
Donate Now Get Involved  
Alzheimer's Disease Research Macular Degeneration Research National Glaucoma Research


Sign up for Email Notifications
If you would like to be notified when funding or meeting opportunities are announced please click on the link below.

Sign up for new announcements.

This email list is not sold or distributed, and serves only as an annual reminder of the availability of research support through the BrightFocus Foundation (www.brightfocus.org). Please follow instructions on the notification emails for removal requests.
 
 
BrightFocus Research Grants Funding
Grant Funding for Alzheimer's Research
Grant Funding for Macular Degeneration Research
Grant Funding for Glaucoma Research
 

  

Alzheimer's Disease Research - Completed Award

Photo Pending

Enrico Malito, Ph.D.

University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

Title: Insulin Degrading Enzyme and Control of Amyloid B Levels
Non-Technical Title: Understanding the body's natural clearance of accumulated protein deposits

Mentor:
Wei-Jen Tang, Ph.D.
University of Chicago

Duration: April 1, 2007 - March 31, 2009
Award Type: Research Fellowship
Award Amount: $100,000

Summary:

We propose to further investigate the molecular mechanism by which Insulin Degrading Enzyme (IDE) exerts its function, with the final aim of finding a hyperactive form of IDE able to more effectively degrade the protein responsible for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. These studies will provide valuable insights into the design of IDE-based therapeutics against Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:


Accumulation in the brain of a specific protein in the form of insoluble plaques is a critical event in Alzheimer’s disease pathology. The imbalance between production of this protein and its degradation is the critical event responsible for its accumulation. Investigating the defects of enzymes that degrade this protein is an essential effort for a better understanding and for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) is among the enzymes responsible for the degradation of the peptide that then accumulates in the brain in an insoluble form, and IDE deficiency is correlated with a significant net increase in accumulation of insoluble plaques in the brain. Consequently, IDE represents a new target for the development of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Our structural studies of IDE allowed us to understand the basic features of this important enzyme. Starting from these observations we can now modify IDE in order to obtain a decrease of accumulated insoluble plaques. We propose to further investigate the molecular mechanism by which IDE exerts its function, with the final aim of finding a hyperactive form of IDE able to more effectively degrade the protein responsible for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. These studies will provide valuable insights into the design of IDE-based therapeutics against Alzheimer’s disease.

Publications:

Im, H., Manolopoulou, M., Malito, E., Shen, Y., Zhao, J., Neant-Fery, M., Sun, C.Y., Meredith, S.C., Sisodia, S.S., Leissring, M., and Tang, W.J. (2007) Structure of substrate-free human insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) and biophysical analysis of ATP-induced conformational switch of IDE. J. Biol. Chem. 282(35):25453-25463. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon