Discoveries at St. Jude Research Hospital could help amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients, and many others.
It's a discovery Dr. Mondira Kundu said her team wasn't even looking for.
"When we initially found the interactions we were pretty excited," Kundu said.
Enzymes that could play a counteractive role in degenerative neurological diseases, like ALS, inclusion body myositis and frontotemporal dementia.
While conducting various tests for the study, Kundu's team discovered that two enzymes -- ULK1 and ULK2 -- can break down cell structures that kill muscle and brain cells.
"The next thing is to see whether, in these types of models does stimulating ULK1 and ULK 2 activity, increase the life span or start to treat the pathology," Kundu said.
The discovery itself doesn't mean a cure for ALS or other neurological diseases is imminent, but Kundu said it's a step in the right direction.
Kundu credited St. Jude's donors and the fundraising team at the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities for making the breakthrough possible.
"It's important to remember that people at St. Jude study not just cancer but other catastrophic pediatric illnesses," Kundu said.
The next step is more lab testing to see if boosting the enzymes with drugs could make a difference in treating muscle and brain disorders.
Kundu said she hoped for even more incredible discoveries in years to come.
"What will be more exciting is if we can translate this to patients because that's ultimately the goal of our research," Kundu said.
Kundu said there had been tremendous progress in understanding and possibly treating neurological diseases in the past 5 to 10 years.
