Proteins perform a variety of essential tasks in all cells of our body. In order to fulfill their biological functions, these chain-like molecules must fold into specific three-dimensional patterns. This process was originally thought to occur spontaneously. However, work by Prof. Dr. Franz-Ulrich Hartl, director of the Cellular Biochemistry Department at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, showed that in our cells protein folding is mediated by chaperones. Incorrectly folded proteins tend to clump together to aggregates, which disturb cell functions in various ways and can cause neurodegenerative pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease. The insight offers opportunities for novel therapeutic approaches.

The Freie Universität Berlin will host in cooperation with the Schering Stiftung a public lecture by Professor Hartl on the topic “Molecular Chaperones: Their Role in Protein Folding and Neurodegenerative Disease.”