Marquette biologists and mathematicians are using baker’s yeast to understand the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzehimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Dr. Anita Manogaran, an assistant professor of biological sciences, and her lab are studying the impact of basic cell biology on neurodegeneration. By understanding what goes on in a single cell, Manogaran’s lab was able to gain insight into the bigger picture of neurodegenerative diseases. Many neurodegenerative diseases involve misfolded proteins, or molecules sticking together and making shapes they aren’t supposed to. The lab used bakers yeast to observe how certain proteins misfold in individual cells.

“We are doing something unorthodox by studying proteins in baker’s yeast,” Manogaran said. “We are able to get a lot of information really fast when we use baker’s yeast.”

The lab utilized 4-D live cell imaging to observe how the proteins misfold in the cell in order to learn more about these early stages of formation.

Brett Wisniewski, a research technician in Manogaran’s lab, believes that using yeast and other simple organisms will always be an excellent starting point for understanding the most complex human diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases are common in older patients, but this new discovery by Manogaran’s lab found proteins associated with these diseases misfold in the brain years before symptoms occur. Manogaran hopes this discovery can lead to future progress to help control and cure these diseases.

“It would be rewarding to see other groups use our work to inform their experiments on more complex organisms and eventually influence therapies for neurodegenerative diseases in humans,” Wisniewski said.

Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions of people worldwide, with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease being the most common.

“I think that it is special that the Marquette science community is being innovative in understanding the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases,” Hannah Seeman, a sophomore in the College of Communication said. “I value the scientists that are making strides to aid those predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease since it runs in my family.”

The authors of this study include Jaya Sharma, a post-doctoral student in Manogaran’s lab. Additional researchers on the project include Stephen J. Merrill, a professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science; Emily Paulson, a graduate student in mathematics, statistics and computer science; and Joanna O. Obaoye, an undergraduate biology student.