Researchers developing unique molecular probes for the study of metals in the brain
Monday, August 18, 2014 - 07:00
in Biology & Nature
You don't have to listen to heavy-metal music to be a metal head. The human brain harbors far more copper, iron and zinc than anywhere else in the body. Abnormally high levels of these metals can lead to disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Chris Chang, a faculty chemist with Berkeley Lab's Chemical Sciences Division, has spent the past several years developing new probes and techniques for imaging the molecular activity of these metals in the brain. Speaking at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in San Francisco, he discussed challenges and recent achievements in this area of research.