Amyloid fibril formation is a neuroprotective responsive (VIDEO)
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Amyloid fibrils have been targeted in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. The amyloid cascade hypothesis, on which many modern Alzheimer's treatments are based, presumes that these fibrils are the cause of the disease. However, emerging evidence suggests that amyloid fibrils supporting vast spiral architectures of tryptophan molecules serve a photoprotective role as superabsorbers of high-energy UV light produced by oxidative metabolism. Such tryptophan networks have been experimentally confirmed in other cellular protein filaments to exhibit a uniquely quantum optical effect known as single-photon superradiance, which enables the photoprotective response.
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Quantum Biology Laboratory: Nathan Babcock and Philip Kurian
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