18.12.2024 | Proteins are fundamental to our bodily functions. In simple terms, proteins can be thought of as long chains of amino acids that are organised into various three-dimensional structures. For example, there is the alpha-helix and the beta-pleated sheet. These structures influence how the proteins interact with other proteins and which functions they fulfil. However, not all proteins are organised in this way: Around 30 per cent exist in a disordered state. However, this is fundamental to their behaviour: The smaller the proteins contract when they swim alone in an aqueous solution, the more easily they form clumps when several proteins are present. This plays a major role in Alzheimer’s disease, for example.