Guilarte discovery opens door to further research into treatment of neurodegenerative disease

Tomás R. Guilarte, dean of the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, has made a discovery that could potentially help put off or prevent the onset of debilitating diseases such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s.

The discovery follows a previous study, in which his research team first described an association between translocator protein 18 kDa—or TSPO—a neuroinflammation protein marker, and NADPH oxidase (NOX) derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling in microglia. His newest publication proposes a mechanism through which the TSPO-NOX interaction ROS signals to maintain redox homeostasis in microglia.