For millions of Australians, it’s the drink of choice.
But could beer hold the key to new insights into how neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Motor Neuron Disease progress?
The Hospital Research Foundation Group’s Mid-Career Fellow Dr Blagojce Jovcevski has formed a collaborative partnership with Coopers to see if bioactive molecules are present in the raw materials of brewing waste.
These materials include leftover ingredients like barley, yeast and hops.
Bioactive molecules play an important role in keeping us healthy and functioning, and can be found in plants, animals and in our own bodies.
Dr Jovcevski said that some of these molecules appear to show properties that protect against toxic proteins.
“Some of the raw materials in brewing waste appear to have neuroprotective properties. The idea is that we could screen these materials against our disease models and then try to isolate the specific molecules that have the greatest effect,” he said.
”The long-term goal would be to use these molecules in advanced disease models and use them as inspiration to guide potential drug development.”
The project forms part of Dr Jovcevski’s Research Fellowship, which was awarded by The Hospital Research Foundation Group in 2023.
His work looks at the gut-brain axis and its role in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.
Research suggests that a toxic protein called alpha-synuclein causes nerve cells to die, triggering the onset of Parkinson’s.
Studies have also shown that these proteins could first form in the gut before travelling to the brain through a major nerve called the vagus nerve that connects the two organs.
Dr Jovcevski’s work has seen him recreate the gut-brain axis in cell models and the molecules found in the brewing waste will be screened using these models to test whether they can prevent the toxic cells from forming.
Through his work on this project, Dr Jovcevski has been able to secure external funding to establish the Coopers collaboration.
We look forward to bringing you more updates in the future!