JERUSALEM, July 31 (Xinhua) — Magnetic fields can direct how Alzheimer’s-linked proteins cluster in the brain, potentially unlocking new treatments, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said Thursday in a statement.
Published in ACS Nano, the study showed magnetic direction influences the size and structure of amyloid-beta protein clumps, which are key drivers of Alzheimer’s plaques.
Researchers observed that when magnetic fields aligned in one direction, protein fibers formed nearly twice as many and grew up to 20 times longer than under opposite alignment, read the statement.
Testing mirror-image protein versions reversed this effect, showing how molecular shape interacts with magnetic forces, added the statement.
This phenomenon, previously seen in chemistry but newly explored in biology, demonstrates magnetism’s unexpected role in protein assembly, it said.
The study offered new possibilities for slowing or even preventing Alzheimer’s by controlling harmful protein buildup with specially-designed spin-based nanoparticles or filters. ■