3D structure of protein associated with neurodegenerative diseases identified

The KMO protein plays a critical role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's, and was the focus of Marta Amaral's research as a PhD fellow at FCT. Marta is the first author of an article recently published in the scientific journal Nature, which presents the first three-dimensional structure of that protein.

The determination of the KMO structure, the result of a joint study conducted by the Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), the Manchester Biotechnology Institute, and the University of Leicester, will contribute to identifying new protein inhibitors and, consequently, to the potential development of new therapies for various neurodegenerative diseases.