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The Cappai laboratory research interest is on the key neurodegenerative diseases of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Prion disease. By studying the key proteins associated with these neurodegenerative disorders - alpha-synuclein, Abeta, APP and PrP, the group aims to identify the critical molecular interactions and cellular pathways that cause the neuronal dysfunction and death.
The Cappai laboratory has been studying Alzheimer's, Prion and Parkinson's disease since 1994 their major achievements being (i) discovering that the APP molecule is a major regulator of neuronal copper metabolism, (ii) defining the cellular mechanism of Aβ and PrP peptide toxicity and defining the critical residues involved in mediating toxic activity, (iii) solving the three dimensional structure of the APP N-terminal cysteine rich domain and defining its growth factor and Cu-binding activities, (iv) discovering a novel interaction between dopamine (DA) and α-synuclein (α-SN) that promotes the formation of SDS-stable, soluble and non-amyloidogenic α-SN oligomers and thus providing a direct link between DA and α-SN in Parkinson's disease.
Current projects include small molecule screening for modulators of neurotoxicity and misfolding; determining the cellular targets and pathways that mediate Abeta neurotoxicity; studying the structure - function and metabolism of these proteins; delineating the folding pathways, and modulators thereof, that lead to misfolded toxic proteins; determining the physiological function of APP and, in particular, its interactions with sorLA and copper.
Techniques include: molecular biology, cell biology, neurophysiology, protein expression and purification, structural biology, neurochemistry, biophysical assays, and biochemical assays.
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Roberto Cappai Bio
Roberto has been an invited speaker to 20 international conferences in the last 10 years. He is a member of the Journal of Neurochemistry editorial board and was appointed a NHMRC Senior Research Fellow in 2004 and an Associate Professor in 2006. He has produced over 120 publications. In 2007 he was awarded the JAAME Fellowship (Japan Association for the Advancement of Medical Equipment).
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Cappai Research Group
- Dr. Joe Ciccotosto
- Dr. Michelle Fodero-Tavoletti
- Dr. Chi Le Lan Pham
- Laura Vella
- Andrea Connor
- Timothy Johanssen
- Loredana Spoerri
- Sen Han1
- Su Ling Leong2
- Rebecca Nisbet1
- Laura Bica3
1Joint supervision with Andrew Hill (Biochemistry, Bio21), 2with Kevin Barnham (Pathology, Bio21), 3with Tony White (Pathology)
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