University of Edinburgh’s centre for the UK Dementia Research Institute has been granted funding for research into Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).
The two researchers leading the work, Dr Dianne Lopez and Dr Filipa Henderson Sousa, have been supported by the PSP Association (PSPA) to research the condition.
This rare neurological condition is caused by increased damage to brain cells over time due to the build-up of the tau protein, and is most commonly found in people over the age of 60.
Symptoms range from problems with movement and balance to struggles with speech, swallowing, and cognitive change.
The PSP association estimates that there are 10,000 cases at any given time, yet there is no cure for the condition.
Medical intervention currently focuses on slowing the progression and alleviating symptoms, with people usually becoming “severely disabled” within 3-5 years of onset, according to Fight Parkinson’s.
One of the researchers, Dr Sousa, told The Student that the investigation “establishes the necessary biological insights to drive early-stage diagnostics and therapeutic discovery in PSP.”
The researcher said that the pilot study: “will generate the first cell-type-specific atlas of proteome turnover in PSP, providing insight into early proteostasis dysfunction that drives disease pathology.”
Image by Ulia Makoveeva for The Student