Scientists at UC Santa Barbara and Northwestern University have created the first synthetic fragment of tau protein that acts like a prion. The “mini prion” folds and stacks into strands, or fibrils, of misfolded tau proteins, which then transmit their abnormally folded shape to other normal tau proteins. Misfolded, prion-like proteins drive the progression of tauopathies, a group of neurodegenerative diseases — including Alzheimer’s disease — characterized by the abnormal accumulat...| chemengr.ucsb.edu
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara and Northwestern University have created the first synthetic fragment of tau protein that acts like a prion. The “mini prion” folds and stacks into strands, or fibrils, of misfolded tau proteins, which then transmit their abnormally folded shape to other normal tau proteins. Misfolded, prion-like proteins drive the progression of tauopathies, a group of neurodegenerative diseases — including Alzheimer’s disease — characterized by the abnormal accumulat...| www.chemengr.ucsb.edu
Mentoring graduate students is an essential component of the mission of a research institution such as UC Santa Barbara. For faculty, mentoring involves training graduate students for careers in academia and industry and preparing them to meet the highest ethical and professional standards. Chemical engineering professor M. Scott Shell is one of three faculty members selected by UCSB’s Academic Senate to receive a 2021-‘22 Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award in recognition of exemplary cont...| www.chemengr.ucsb.edu