We are pleased to welcome Dr Eduardo Albornoz from the University of Queensland to present on his research project Identification of a Speck-Like Protein Containing A Card (Asc) as a Disease-Modifying Therapeutic Target in Parkinson’s Disease.

If you missed the live forum you can watch and listen to it below:

Inflammasomes are large multiprotein complexes that play a central role in the innate immune system, the body’s first line of defense against microbes. Inflammasomes are key drivers of inflammation that are widely implicated in propagating neuron death in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Albornoz in conjunction with Professor Woodruff have shown that a key protein in the inflammasome, called ASC, is increased in Parkinson’s disease patients, and in experimental models. Pre-clinical models genetically deficient in ASC have reduced severity of disease, suggesting this protein could be a key target for therapeutic intervention.

The research team are investigating whether inhibiting ASC will slow disease progression in pre-clinical models of Parkinson’s disease which could lead to the development of new treatments.