Used coffee grounds could be used to slow the progress of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, according to new research published today.
Our aim is to come up with a solution that can prevent most cases of these conditions.
Mahesh Narayan, Ph.D., and professor and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry
The research team behind the discovery, from The University of Texas at El Paso, says a substance called caffeic-acid based Carbon Quantum Dots (CACQDs), found in spent coffee grounds, could protect the brain of patients in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s from developing a full-on disease.
“CACQDs have the potential to be transformative in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders,” said Jyotish Kumar, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “This is because none of the current treatments resolve the diseases; they only help manage the symptoms. Our aim is to find a cure by addressing the atomic and molecular underpinnings that drive these conditions.”
Following the success of the test tube experiments more research is needed, and the team is now seeking funding to progress a journey it hopes can produce a treatment that could cure most neurodegenerative disorders which are caused by factors other than genetics.
