UCLA researchers have determined the atomic structure of part of a protein that causes certain neurodegenerative diseases. In a study published earlier in January, researchers in the lab of Jose Rodriguez, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, determined the structure of a segment of prion, a protein that causes diseases such as mad cow disease, when it is defective. Read more...

Photo: UCLA researchers used a technique called MicroED to determine the structure of prions, which can become defective in the body and cause diseases such as mad cow disease. (Daily Bruin file photo)