What Happens When Tau Proteins First Start Clumping Together?

Researchers at the University of Alberta, led by Dr. Sue-Ann Mok, received $3 million in funding to study the earliest stages of tau protein aggregation, a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. The team will use single-molecule mass photometry to examine how tau proteins first clump together and identify modifications that promote or prevent the formation of disease-causing structures. Understanding these initial molecular events could guide development of new treatments and diagnostic tools for tauopathies.