We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
INTEGRA BIOSCIENCES AG

Download Mobile App




New Fluorescent Sensor Array Lights up Alzheimer’s-Related Proteins for Earlier Detection

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 08 Feb 2024
Print article
Image: Lighting up Alzheimer’s-related proteins allows for earlier disease detection (Photo courtesy of 123RF)
Image: Lighting up Alzheimer’s-related proteins allows for earlier disease detection (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, pose a diagnostic challenge in their early stages before symptoms manifest. Identifying disease-related biomarkers like amyloids, which are aggregated proteins, could offer crucial early insights if they can be detected effectively. Now, researchers have developed a new method that employs an array of sensor molecules to illuminate amyloids. This innovation could play a significant role in monitoring disease progression or differentiating various amyloid-related disorders.

In neurodegenerative diseases, a common factor is the disruption of brain communication, often due to “sticky” clumps of misfolded proteins called amyloids that interrupt signal transmission. These amyloids are believed to be integral to Alzheimer’s disease progression, suggesting their potential as early diagnostic markers to broaden treatment possibilities. While radioimaging techniques like positron emission tomography (PET) scans can detect amyloids, they require advanced equipment and generally target only specific amyloids linked to the disease. As an alternative, fluorescence imaging techniques have been investigated for their simpler yet sensitive capability to detect multiple distinct amyloids.

A team of researchers at The University of Sydney (NSW, Australia) set out to develop a fluorescent sensor array specifically for amyloids. This tool aims to monitor Alzheimer’s and other diseases' progression and differentiate atypical amyloids from other naturally occurring amyloid-forming proteins. The team initially combined five coumarin-based molecular probes, each responding with varying fluorescence levels upon encountering amyloids, into an array. They discovered, however, that using just two of these probes, chosen for their strong fluorescence responses, still yielded a highly sensitive detection system and provided a unique fluorescent “fingerprint” for individual amyloids.

The effectiveness of this two-probe array was tested in a simulated biological fluid containing molecules that could potentially disrupt sensing. Nevertheless, the array maintained its high sensitivity and selectivity. Its efficacy was further validated using samples from the brains of mouse models of Alzheimer’s. The researchers noted distinct fluorescence patterns at the early (6 months old) and later (12 months old) stages of the disease. Moreover, the array produced a distinct fluorescence signature for three amyloids typically associated with Alzheimer’s, another disease-related amyloid, and five “functional amyloids” not implicated in the disease. According to the researchers, this tool offers the potential to differentiate between closely related amyloids, paving the way for earlier and more precise diagnosis of amyloid-related diseases.

Related Links:
The University of Sydney

New
Gold Member
Strep Pneumoniae Rapid Test
Strep Pneumoniae (6503 – 6573)
Gold Member
Flocked Fiber Swabs
Puritan® Patented HydraFlock®
New
Flu Test
Influenza A/B Virus Detection Kit
New
Procalcitonin Rapid Test
StrongStep Procalcitonin Test

Print article

Channels

Immunology

view channel
Image: Example image of the high-throughput microscopy method used in the study, showing immune cells stained with different fluorescence markers (Photo courtesy of Felix Kartnig/CeMM, MedUni Vienna)

Cutting-Edge Microscopy Technology Enables Tailored Rheumatology Therapies

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common inflammatory joint disorder, with women three times as likely to suffer from the condition as men. Treatment advances made over the past decades have led to the... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: RNA sequencing directly from whole blood aims to expand access to LRTI testing (Photo courtesy of CARB-X)

Novel Test to Diagnose Bacterial Pneumonia Directly from Whole Blood

Pneumonia and lower-respiratory-tract infections (LRTIs) are among the top causes of illness and death globally, particularly in vulnerable populations such as the elderly, young children, and immunocompromised... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The new method uses DNA sequencing to measure metabolites (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

New Metabolite Detection Method Using DNA Sequencing Could Transform Diagnostics

Metabolites play a vital role as biomarkers that provide insights into our health, and when their levels go awry, it can lead to diseases such as diabetes and phenylketonuria. Quantifying metabolites remains... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.