Discoveries concerning the controlled process of cell protein degradation have earned three scientists the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2004.

While work on understanding how proteins are made has received lots of attention, work on understanding how proteins are degraded has been less publicized. But it is now known that when the process goes wrong, it can result in cancer, cystic fibrosis and brain degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

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