Amyloid Proteins in Medullary Thyroid Cancer and Laryngeal Amyloidosis

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    An ex vivo study to purify amyloid fibrils and solve their 3D structures using amyloid proteins from medullary thyroid cancer and laryngeal amyloidosis

  • IRAS ID

    289680

  • Contact name

    James Moor

  • Contact email

    jamesmoor@nhs.net

  • Sponsor organisation

    Leeds Teaching Hosptials NHS Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    3 years, 0 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    The study aims to work out the 3-dimensional structure of proteins called amyloid, or more specifically, a part of the protein called the 'fibrils'. Amyloid proteins and their fibrils are formed in patients when certain types of proteins glue themselves together in specific circumstances, and can contribute to the development of some diseases. We believe that if we can understand the 3D structures of amyloid proteins and amyloid fibrils we will then be able to develop experiments that aim to;
    1) understand whether specific problems with a patient's genes (called gene mutations) can increase the likelihood of a patient developing a disease related to amyloid proteins and amyloid fibrils
    2) understand whether amyloid proteins undergo changes in their shape and structure (called post-translational modification) which also links to development of amyloid-related diseases
    3) help in the development of new molecules that may influence the amyloid proteins becoming stuck together (this would potentially be the first step in the future development of a medical treatment for amyloid-related disease).

  • REC name

    HSC REC B

  • REC reference

    21/NI/0026

  • Date of REC Opinion

    26 Jan 2021

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion