Pilot studies to evaluate the effectiveness of high LET particle irradiation in damaging neurotoxic protein aggregates

A growing number of diseases, namely amyloidosis, are associated to an abnormal production or reduced clearance of proteins assuming insoluble aggregated structures which deposit in the intra- and extracellular brain compartments. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most frequent amyloidosis where Aβ aggregates deposited in the brain as senile plaques. The Aβ peptide results as the culprit of the neuropathological process. The aging of the world population foreseen for the next decades is expected to increase AD and other dementia incidence, implying both a higher number of patients in need of caregiver's assistance and huge socio-economical costs. These prospects heighten the concern about the lack of therapeutic tools able to significantly slow down the disease progression.