With an increasing life expectancy, the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease increased to 48 million worldwide in 2015 placing an enormous social and economic burden on individuals and the state. Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease are characterized by the deposition of aggregated protein which kills neurons and impairs brain function.

This talk focusses on current research to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which natural defences in the form of molecular chaperones act to prevent protein aggregation and to understand how some neurodegenerative diseases can be caused by infectious proteins. Moreover, it intends to provide insight into the daily life in a biochemical laboratory.

Henrik Müller is a Junior Research Fellow at Pembroke College and a postdoctoral research associate at the Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford. His belief that extending basic research should try to accompany benefits to the public has led to a keen interest in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and prion diseases (e.g. mad cow disease, BSE). His research includes the inter-disciplinary combination of biochemical techniques and cell and animal-based toxicity assays with sophisticated biophysical methods such as electron microscopy and high-molecular weight solution and solid-state NMR spectroscopy.