In a new Parkinson's disease research breakthrough, scientists have developed a technique that allows them to detect a key signature of the disease in the brain and body cells of living people.
The technique is called a-synuclein seeding amplification assay, and it can detect an abnormal protein linked with Parkinson's disease in both symptomatic and non-symptomatic people. This means it has the potential to act as an early alarm system for people who might not realize they face a high risk of developing Parkinson's.
Alpha-synoclein is a protein normally found in the nervous system that, like amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, can start to misfold and clump together, damaging neurons and causing Parkinson's disease to develop. That is when it's considered abnormal alpha-synuclein.
Until now, scientists have only been able to confirm the presence of abnormal alpha-synuclein clumps in deceased patients through postmortem analysis. According to the study, being able to detect this Parkinson's biomarker in live patients could allow specialists to diagnose the disease and begin interventions earlier than ever. The researchers said it could potentially have the added benefit of keeping some newly diagnosed patients from ever advancing to full-blown symptoms.
The new technique takes advantage of a characteristic of abnormal alpha-synuclein in which it causes nearby, normal alpha-synuclein to also misfold and clump. For the assay, spinal fluid samples are prepared with a fluorescent contrast agent that lights up if alpha-synuclein clumps form.
Normal alpha-synuclein is then added to the spinal fluid sample. If abnormal alpha-synuclein is present in the sample, clumps form among the newly-introduced normal alpha-synuclein and the dye lights up. If there's no alpha-synuclein in the sample, no clumps form and the dye doesn’t light up.
The biomarker breakthrough was achieved by an international coalition of scientists as part of a large clinical study funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation called the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI).
The technique is called a-synuclein seeding amplification assay, and it can detect an abnormal protein linked with Parkinson's disease in both symptomatic and non-symptomatic people. This means it has the potential to act as an early alarm system for people who might not realize they face a high risk of developing Parkinson's.
Alpha-synoclein is a protein normally found in the nervous system that, like amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, can start to misfold and clump together, damaging neurons and causing Parkinson's disease to develop. That is when it's considered abnormal alpha-synuclein.
Until now, scientists have only been able to confirm the presence of abnormal alpha-synuclein clumps in deceased patients through postmortem analysis. According to the study, being able to detect this Parkinson's biomarker in live patients could allow specialists to diagnose the disease and begin interventions earlier than ever. The researchers said it could potentially have the added benefit of keeping some newly diagnosed patients from ever advancing to full-blown symptoms.
The new technique takes advantage of a characteristic of abnormal alpha-synuclein in which it causes nearby, normal alpha-synuclein to also misfold and clump. For the assay, spinal fluid samples are prepared with a fluorescent contrast agent that lights up if alpha-synuclein clumps form.
Normal alpha-synuclein is then added to the spinal fluid sample. If abnormal alpha-synuclein is present in the sample, clumps form among the newly-introduced normal alpha-synuclein and the dye lights up. If there's no alpha-synuclein in the sample, no clumps form and the dye doesn’t light up.
The biomarker breakthrough was achieved by an international coalition of scientists as part of a large clinical study funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation called the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI).
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