Experts are hoping to learn more about age-related illnesses such as dementia in a new study.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh will try to identify what causes changes to the behaviour of proteins as people get older.

They can group together during the ageing process - and these groups interfere with biological processes that allow the body to function healthily.

A spokesman for the university said: "This clumping - known as aggregation - can occur in many different proteins and is a feature of several conditions relating to ageing, such as age-related sight loss, late-onset diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

"Accumulations of protein cause the brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease, and the cloudy vision caused by cataracts."

It is hoped that the study will help researchers identify what causes the proteins to stick together - potentially leading to the creation of new drugs to prevent it happening.

Dr Cait MacPhee, of the university's school of physics and astronomy, is leading the research.

She said: "We know that proteins often bunch together, causing processes in the body to break down.

"Because this problem is common to lots of diseases, we hope that if we can understand how it occurs, it will offer insights into a range of conditions that affect people as they get older."

The three-year project has been funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance.