ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Gregory Petsko - Bioengineer
Gregory Petsko is a biochemist who studies the proteins of the body and their biochemical function. Working with Dagmar Ringe, he's doing pioneering work in the way we look at proteins and what they do.

Why you should listen

Gregory Petsko's own biography, on his Brandeis faculty homepage, might seem intimidatingly abstruse to the non-biochemist -- he studies "the structural basis for efficient enzymic catalysis of proton and hydride transfer; the role of the metal ions in bridged bimetalloenzyme active sites; direct visualization of proteins in action by time-resolved protein crystallography; the evolution of new enzyme activities from old ones; and the biology of the quiescent state in eukaryotic cells."

But for someone so deeply in touch with the minutest parts of our bodies, Petsko is also a wide-ranging mind, concerned about larger health policy issues. The effect of mass population shifts -- such as our current trend toward a senior-citizen society -- maps onto his world of tiny proteins to create a compeling new worldview.

More profile about the speaker
Gregory Petsko | Speaker | TED.com
TED2008

Gregory Petsko: The coming neurological epidemic

Gregory Petsko datorren epidemia neurologiokoari buruz

Filmed:
994,855 views

Gregory Petsko biokimikoak datorren 50 urtetan gaixotasun neurologikoen epidemia bat -- Alzheimer eta tankerakoak -- ikusiko dugula arrazoitzen du, munduko populazioa zahartzen doan einean. Bere soluzioa: ikerkuntza gehiago burmuinean eta bere funtzioetan.
- Bioengineer
Gregory Petsko is a biochemist who studies the proteins of the body and their biochemical function. Working with Dagmar Ringe, he's doing pioneering work in the way we look at proteins and what they do. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Unless we do something to prevent it,
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Saihesteko zerbait egiten ez badugu,
00:14
over the next 40 years we’re facing an epidemic
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hurrengo 40 urteetan, gaixotasun neurologikoen epidemia
00:17
of neurologic diseases on a global scale.
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jasango dugu mundu mailan.
00:20
A cheery thought.
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Burutapen alaia...
00:24
On this map, every country that’s colored blue
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Mapa honetan, nazio urdin bakoitzaren
00:27
has more than 20 percent of its population over the age of 65.
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populazioaren % 20 baino gehiago 65 urtetik gorakoa da.
00:31
This is the world we live in.
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Hau da gaur egungo mundua.
00:33
And this is the world your children will live in.
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Eta hau da zuen seme-alabek biziko dutena.
00:37
For 12,000 years, the distribution of ages in the human population
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12.000 urtez, populazioaren adin banaketak
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has looked like a pyramid, with the oldest on top.
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piramidearen itxura izan du, zaharrenak goian zirela.
00:44
It’s already flattening out.
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Dagoeneko zapaltzen ari da.
00:46
By 2050, it’s going to be a column and will start to invert.
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2050ean zutabea izango da, eta alderantzikatzen hasiko da.
00:50
This is why it’s happening.
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Hau da arrazoia.
00:53
The average lifespan’s more than doubled since 1840,
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1840tik aurrera, bizialdia bikoiztu baino gehiago egin da,
00:56
and it’s increasing currently at the rate of about five hours every day.
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eta bost ordu luzatzen da egunero, gaur egun.
01:01
And this is why that’s not entirely a good thing:
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Eta honexegatik ez da guztiz ona:
01:04
because over the age of 65, your risk of getting Alzheimer’s
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65 urtetik gora, Alzheimerra edota
01:08
or Parkinson’s disease will increase exponentially.
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Parkinsona hartzeko arriskua esponentzialki hazten dira.
01:12
By 2050, there’ll be about 32 million people in the United States
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2050. urtean, 80 urtetik gorako 32 milioi pertsona inguru izango dira
01:16
over the age of 80, and unless we do something about it,
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Estatu Batuetan, eta zerbait egiten ez badugu,
01:19
half of them will have Alzheimer’s disease
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erdiak Alzheimer gaixotasuna izango du,
01:21
and three million more will have Parkinson’s disease.
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eta 3 milioi pertsona gehiagok Parkinsona izango du.
01:24
Right now, those and other neurologic diseases --
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Gaur egun, gaixotasun neurologiko horiek eta antzeko beste batzuk --
01:27
for which we have no cure or prevention --
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sendabiderik ez dutenak gainera --
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cost about a third of a trillion dollars a year.
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trilioi bat dolarren herena kostatzen dira urtean, gutxi gorabehera.
01:32
It will be well over a trillion dollars by 2050.
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2050ean trilioi bat baino gehiago izango dira.
01:36
Alzheimer’s disease starts when a protein
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Behar bezala tolestu beharko lukeen
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that should be folded up properly
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proteina bat Origami ero bat bezala tolesten denean
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misfolds into a kind of demented origami.
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hasten da Alzheimer gaixotasuna.
01:44
So one approach we’re taking is to try to design drugs
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Lantzen ari garen bideetako bat zinta itsaskor molekular gisa
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that function like molecular Scotch tape,
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arituko diren medikamentuak diseinatzea da,
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to hold the protein into its proper shape.
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horiek proteina forma egokian mantendu dezaten.
01:53
That would keep it from forming the tangles
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Teknika horrek noduluak sortzea eragotziko luke;
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that seem to kill large sections of the brain when they do.
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izan ere, horrek hiltzen ditu burmuinaren zati handiak.
01:59
Interestingly enough, other neurologic diseases
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Burmuinaren zati ezberdinak erasotzen dituzten
02:01
which affect very different parts of the brain
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beste gaixotasun neurologiko batzuk ere
02:04
also show tangles of misfolded protein,
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tankerako noduluak eragiten dituzte.
02:07
which suggests that the approach might be a general one,
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Ondorioz, arazoaren konponbidea orokorra izan liteke,
02:10
and might be used to cure many neurologic diseases,
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eta baliteke gaixotasun neurologiko asko sendatzeko balio izatea,
02:12
not just Alzheimer’s disease.
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eta ez Alzheimerra bakarrik.
02:14
There’s also a fascinating connection to cancer here,
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Beste aldetik, minbiziarekiko lotura harrigarri bat dago;
02:17
because people with neurologic diseases
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izan ere, gaixotasun neurologikoak dituztenen artean
02:19
have a very low incidence of most cancers.
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oso gutxi dira gainera minbizia dutenak.
02:22
And this is a connection that most people aren’t pursuing right now,
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Eta gutxi dira bide hori jarraitzen ari diren ikerleak,
02:25
but which we’re fascinated by.
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baina gu, behintzat, erabat txundituta gaude.
02:28
Most of the important and all of the creative work in this area
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Eremu horretan egiten ari diren lan garrantzitsuena eta sortzaileena
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is being funded by private philanthropies.
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diru-emaile pribatuek finantzatzen dute.
02:34
And there’s tremendous scope for additional private help here,
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Eta laguntza pribatu gehiagoren behar handia dago,
02:37
because the government has dropped the ball on much of this, I’m afraid.
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gobernuek ikerkuntza baztertu baitute, tamalez.
02:40
In the meantime, while we’re waiting for all these things to happen,
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Bitartean, hau guztia noiz gertatuko den zain gauden bitartean,
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here’s what you can do for yourself.
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hona hemen zuk zeuk egin dezakezuna.
02:46
If you want to lower your risk of Parkinson’s disease,
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Parkinsona jasateko arriskua murriztu nahi baduzu,
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caffeine is protective to some extent; nobody knows why.
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kafeinak babestu egiten du; inork ez daki zergatik.
02:53
Head injuries are bad for you. They lead to Parkinson’s disease.
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Buruko zauriak txarrak dira. Parkinsona eragin dezakete.
02:56
And the Avian Flu is also not a good idea.
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Hegazti gripea ere ez da ideia ona.
03:01
As far as protecting yourself against Alzheimer’s disease,
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Zure burua Alzeimerraren aurrean babesteko,
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well, it turns out that fish oil has the effect
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beno, dirudienez, arrain koipea ona da
03:07
of reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
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Alzeimerraren arriskua murrizteko.
03:10
You should also keep your blood pressure down,
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Odol presioa ere baxu mantendu beharko zenuke.
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because chronic high blood pressure
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Izan ere, odol presio altu kronikoa
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is the biggest single risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
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Altzeimerra izateko arrisku faktore garrantzitsuena da.
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It’s also the biggest risk factor for glaucoma,
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Baita glaukoma izateko arrisku faktorerik handiena ere.
03:19
which is just Alzheimer’s disease of the eye.
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Glaukoma begiaren Altzeimerra da.
03:22
And of course, when it comes to cognitive effects,
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Eta, noski, ondorio kognitiboei dagokienez,
03:24
"use it or lose it" applies,
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«erabili edo galdu» printzipioa da nagusi.
03:26
so you want to stay mentally stimulated.
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Beraz, burua estimulatzea komeni zaizu.
03:28
But hey, you’re listening to me.
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Baina, beno! Hemen zaudeten nirekin dagoeneko.
03:30
So you’ve got that covered.
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Beraz, jadanik lantzen ari zarete aspektu hori.
03:32
And one final thing. Wish people like me luck, okay?
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Azkeneko ohar bat. Opaiguzue zorte ona ni bezalakoei, ados?
03:36
Because the clock is ticking for all of us.
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Izan ere, erlojua guztiontzako doa aurrera.
03:38
Thank you.
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Eskerrik asko.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Gregory Petsko - Bioengineer
Gregory Petsko is a biochemist who studies the proteins of the body and their biochemical function. Working with Dagmar Ringe, he's doing pioneering work in the way we look at proteins and what they do.

Why you should listen

Gregory Petsko's own biography, on his Brandeis faculty homepage, might seem intimidatingly abstruse to the non-biochemist -- he studies "the structural basis for efficient enzymic catalysis of proton and hydride transfer; the role of the metal ions in bridged bimetalloenzyme active sites; direct visualization of proteins in action by time-resolved protein crystallography; the evolution of new enzyme activities from old ones; and the biology of the quiescent state in eukaryotic cells."

But for someone so deeply in touch with the minutest parts of our bodies, Petsko is also a wide-ranging mind, concerned about larger health policy issues. The effect of mass population shifts -- such as our current trend toward a senior-citizen society -- maps onto his world of tiny proteins to create a compeling new worldview.

More profile about the speaker
Gregory Petsko | Speaker | TED.com