Requirement for an Effective Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Abstract

For degenerative diseases, a major causal hypothesis is chronic cell stress, which damages cell proteins. To maintain cellular homeostasis, damaged proteins must be replaced via nuclear protein synthesis, ER folding, and Golgi transport. If protein damage exceeds the cell’s replacement capacity, protein misfolding occurs, which, if unchecked, forms cytotoxic aggregates of misfolded polymorphic structures (CAMPS) that attach to membranes, disrupt their function, and degrade homeostasis.