Monday, 18 May 2020

Neurodegenerative diseases: UniTrento takes on the challenge

A research team has been using RNA strands as weapon and target for over ten years. Their invention was patented in Europe and in the USA

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Only the right key fits into a lock. Only the right key opens the door.

The same goes for RNA strands in the laboratories of the University of Trento: every strand covers only the corresponding fragment. In this way, RNA is both the weapon and the target at the same time in the fight against a number of neurodegenerative diseases.

Treating these diseases has become a priority for public health globally, given the progressive increase in population ageing.

This genetic mechanism, which is part of international research on gene therapies, obtained a patent that is valid in Europe and in the United States.

The research work at the University of Trento is coordinated by Michela Denti, who in the last 10 years has been conducting studies on neurodegenerative diseases, focusing in particular on those with a genetic base.

With her team, she explores RNA, that is ribonucleic acid that plays a fundamental role in the coding, regulation and expression of genes, at the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - Cibio of the University of Trento. RNA is the molecule that collects and transmits instructions for the production of proteins.

The press release includes further information and comments from Michela Denti, professor of applied biology.