Elucidating the mechanism behind the medicine

The precursor of UCB0599, a potential drug to treat Parkinson’s disease, has been shown to reduce aggregation of the protein alpha synuclein in mice. Although currently being evaluated in a phase 2 clinical trial in human patients, UCB0599’s mode of action is unknown. The lab of Robert Konrat has determined high-resolution structures of membrane-bound alpha synuclein. Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal a putative mechanism by which UCB0599 interferes with pathogenic protein aggregates.