Detection of Small Amounts of Misfolded α-Synuclein Identifies Early Parkinson ' s Disease

Parkinson's disease is characterized by misfolding and aggregation of α-synuclein, a pathology that spreads from where it initially starts, frequently in the intestinal nervous system, spreading between nerve cells. Researchers here report on a technique to identify the presence of small amounts of misfolded α-synuclein, demonstrating that it allows for early detection of the condition. Near every disease is easier to treat or at least slow down in its earlier stages, and early detection may well be an essential part of efforts to prevent the development of common age-related neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is characterized by deposits of a protein known as alpha-synuclein (aSyn) in the nervous system. This protein can become corrupted and start to change shape in a process called misfolding. These misfolded proteins will start to clump together and poison the surrounding healthy nerve cells that are responsible for brain function, particularly for motor skills. Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) - also termed seed amplification assay (SAA) technology - is under development at Amprion Inc., a biotech company focusing on the commercial utilization of SAA for early diagnosis of Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers at Amprion studied 1,123 participants who were enrolled at 33 facilities globally between July 2010 and July 2019, representing the largest analysis so ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs