Key points from article :
Lasers tuned to a specific frequency causes amyloid fibrils to disintegrate from the inside out.
Formation of plaques that contain aggregates of amyloid proteins is characteristic of several neurodegenerative diseases.
Scientists used laser experiments and molecular dynamics simulations.
Laser experiments provide information about structure but have limited spatial and temporal resolutions.
Molecular simulations can provide this resolution, but may not accurately reflect the actual laser intensity and irradiation time.
Used a portion of a yeast protein that is known to form amyloid fibrils on its own.
Confirmed that the amyloid fibrils disassembled upon laser irradiation at the resonance frequency.
Process begins at the core of the fibril where the resonance breaks intermolecular hydrogen bonds.
Study published in Journal of Physical Chemistry B.
Team led by Dr Takayasu Kawasaki (IR-FEL Research Center) and Dr Phuong H. Nguyen (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France).
