Biomolecular aggregation is a biological phenomenon where individual macromolecules, such as protein molecules cluster and clump together, forming a new entity that might have lost its original functions or activities and have the potential to cause diseases. Specifically, protein aggregation is a result of protein mis-folding, causing individual proteins to interact with one another. In the most severe cases, protein aggregation leads to the formation of irreversible, insoluble fibril structures, e.g., β-amyloids, which are responsible for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s.
Image of protein showing various types of three-dimensional structures