Research summary
Approximately 700,000 Canadians suffer from neuroinflammatory diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Yet there is still no effective treatment or cure for either. Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are hallmarks of both these diseases, as is the disintegration of the microtubule cytoskeleton, which is the protein scaffold that maintains a healthy brain cell architecture by helping cells maintain their shape and internal organization.
Dr. Travis Craddock, Canada Research Chair in Quantum Neurobiology, is shedding light on how neuroinflammation affects the neuronal microtubule cytoskeleton. He and his research team aim to provide models that describe the basic biophysical behaviour of the neuroinflammatory cascade and its effect on neuronal microtubules, which transport substances to different parts of the cell in the brain. The knowledge they gain will support the design of new treatments to mitigate the damage that neuroinflammation does to the cytoskeleton.