04/05/2013

Amyloid Proteins Help Paralyzed Mice Walk Again

8:42 minutes

Reporting in Science Translational Medicine, researchers write that amyloid-forming proteins, traditionally thought of as enemies to the nervous system, may actually be protective ‘guardians’ instead. Study author Lawrence Steinman, a neurologist at Stanford University, explains how amyloid injections helped paralyzed mice with a multiple-sclerosis-like disease walk again.

Segment Guests

Larry Steinman

Larry Steinman is a neurology professor at Stanford University in Stanford, California.

Meet the Producer

About Christopher Intagliata

Christopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.