A Raman and ROA Study of Insulin Fibrillogenesis

The misfolding of proteins and their subsequent fibrillogenesis is a key focus of research, due to their being implicated in human illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Understanding the structural transitions which occur in amyloidogenic proteins is not only paramount to understanding of these diseases, but a requirement for effective treatments to be developed. Research has shown that insulin can form fibrils under different experimental conditions, particularly at low pH, high temperature or with agitation[1]. This makes insulin a suitable protein to study structural transitions prior to fibril formation.