A team of researchers led by Nicolas Fawzi, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology at Brown University, used a combination of techniques to determine the atomic interactions that stabilize the liquid, yet 'condensed' phase of FUS, which is found in a a 'solid' or aggregate phase in some people with severe cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a type of dementia called frontotemporal dementia.