Cellular recycling caught in the act
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

A team of researchers at the Center for Self-assembly and Complexity, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) have observed a normal physiological process, called `self-eating`, that cells use to recycle their components. They developed an accurate technique that visualizes how mitochondria, cells` energy factories, are fused with lysosomes, cells` recycling machines, in order to get material destroyed and recycled. Since irregularities in this mechanism can lead to Alzheimer`s, Parkinson`s, and other complications, this research could help future advances in degenerative brain disease diagnosis and drug development. The study was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.