Session: Current Topics in Biological Chemistry:

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and the number of patients affected by AD is only expected to increase as average life expectancy continues to grow. Although there has been a great deal of research focused on understanding the neurochemistry and neuropathology of Alzheimer’s Disease, the underlying biochemical mechanism of neurodegeneration remains elusive and misunderstood. This has resulted in several failed clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies hoping to find an effective treatment that slows, prevents, or even reverses the progression of AD. To develop a novel approach to this problem, our work focuses on investigating the effects of copper and copper chelate compounds on neurotoxicity and Amyloid-Beta aggregation. The work being presented herein focuses specifically on analyzing electron transfer properties in various copper complexes at different pH via cyclic voltammetry and studying how these complexes influence the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using a fluorescence-based assay. The results show interesting correlations between electron transfer properties and ROS production that could provide important insight into utilizing metal complexes as potential AD therapeutics.

Mallory Havens

Appearances