Researchers in UC Santa Barbara neuroscientist Kenneth S. Kosik’s lab have discovered a novel organelle—a previously unknown cell structure whose function it is to help clean up faulty proteins in times of stress and keep cells functioning in top condition. Optimizing this membraneless organelle, which they call a BAG2 condensate, could lead to treatments for conditions that are the result of misfolded proteins, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Their results are reported in a paper led by project scientist Daniel C. Carrettiero and published in the journal Nature Communications.