A Kerala University (KU) faculty, along with her former colleague at the National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, has received a U.S. patent for ‘peptide complex with immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory function.’
Viji Vijayan, an assistant professor in Kerala University’s Biochemistry department, and Sarika Gupta, staff scientist, NII, had collaborated on the discovery as principal investigator and scientist mentor respectively.
Their research, Dr. Vijayan says, focussed on identifying a biological mechanism that could be explored further to evolve a technology that held potential in treating disorders such Alzheimer’s disease.
“Osteocalcin, a bone peptide, which can cross the blood brain barrier interacts with amyloid beta peptide to form pre-fibrillar structures. These intermediary structures have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory functions. Their formation can enable the clearance of amyloids and thereby, aid the improvement in learning and memory. Such a mechanism that can happen inside a biological system during a healthy state was identified during the study,” she explained.
The academic elaborated on the need to understand the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease in order to enable its treatment. Further research and funding had to be directed into this field to evolve cures for such neurodegenerative disorders.
A neurobiology laboratory has been established at the university’s Biochemistry department to focus on understanding not just Alzheimer’s disease, but also the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
