In an advance that could help treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, scientists have developed a ‘5D fingerprinting’ technique for precisely measuring the properties of individual protein molecules floating in a liquid.
Measuring their properties in blood and other fluids could unlock valuable information, as the molecules are a vital building block in the body, said researchers at University of Michigan (U-M) in the US.
The body manufactures them in a variety of complex shapes that can transmit messages between cells, carry oxygen and perform other important functions.
The sticky tangles block normal cell function, leading to brain cell degeneration and disease.
However, the processes of how amyloids form and clump together are not well understood.
This is due in part to the fact that there is currently not a good way to study them.
Researchers say current methods are expensive, time-consuming and difficult to interpret, and can only provide a broad picture of the overall level of amyloids in a patient’s system.
The researchers at U-M and University of Fribourg in Switzerland who developed the new technique believe that it could help solve the problem by measuring an individual molecule’s shape, volume, electrical charge, rotation speed and propensity for binding to other molecules.
They call this information a “5D fingerprint” and believe that it could uncover new information that may one day help doctors track the status of patients with neurodegenerative diseases and possibly even develop new treatments.
Imagine how much easier it would be with additional descriptors like gender, hair colour and clothing, added.
“That’s the kind of new information 5D fingerprinting provides, making it much easier to identify specific proteins,” said Sept.