Search for a Cure

More than one hundred years ago, Alois Alzheimer described for the first time the disease that now bears his name. In spite of intense research, there is still no medication that can cure Alzheimer's. But the biologists working with Professor Haass at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich are hot on the tracks of the disease—with the help of the zebra fish. As en embryo, this fish is transparent, thereby allowing researchers to observe developments and changes in a living organism. Will the zebra fish help scientists to understand Alzheimer’s?

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Search for a Cure: Episode 04, 26/10/2009

Larvae Lights

 

How do you make an Alzheimer's fish? To do this, first the "Tau" Alzheimer's gene must be injected into the fish larvae. In order for the egg to accept the foreign DNA into its genetic material and thereby allow the Alzheimer's gene to form, it must first be prepared—a difficult task. Because, in order to do this, a piece of the human DNA must be cloned into a so-called vector and marked with a dye. When the nerve cells of the injected fish illuminate red under the laser microscope, the researchers know that they've succeeded!

At a glance

University/Institution: LMU Munich

 

Field of Research: Biology, Cellular Neuroscience, Medicine

 

Location: Munich

 

Episodes: 7

 

Season/Year: 2. Season/ 2009

 

Status: Finished

 

Topics: tau, foreign dna, vector, cloning, dye, laser microscope

 

 

15.06.2009

Search for a Cure

The fight against forgetting: zebra fish help understand Alzheimer's

 

30.06.2009

A Look Into the Brain

Alzheimer's: no longer knowing where you are, who you are or what you were going to do... To find an agent that counters this most frequent form of dementia, the researchers have bred thousands of zebra fish.

 

13.07.2009

The Nerve Killer

Amyloid – a protein which plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Everyone has it in their body, but not everyone develops the disease. But why?

 

10.08.2009

More Than Just Pretty

Only the best for the little one: what do zebra fish need in order to lay as many of the much sought-after eggs as possible?

 

26.10.2009

Larvae Lights

How do you make an Alzheimer's fish? First, human DNA must be injected into the fish larvae—no easy task…

 

11.11.2009

Coloured Fish

Success! Dominik’s fish are carrying the Alzheimer’s gene. But will they also develop the characteristic symptoms?

 

12.11.2009

A Long Road

Can we use methylene blue against cell death? In search of a drug that treats the causes of Alzheimer's…