Fox Foundation Grant to Validate Protein Biomarkers of Early Parkinson’s – Parkinson’s News Today

Posted: Published on June 26th, 2020

This post was added by Alex Diaz-Granados

Erisyon, a biotechnology company specializing in the study of proteins, was awarded agrant byThe Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) to find and validate potential markers ofParkinsons diseasein its early stages.

The grant, reported to be worth$189,000, will go toward deploying single-molecule protein sequencing to detect and validate protein biomarkers that might inform an earlydiagnosis. The earlier a person is diagnosed, the sooner treatment can begin.

Our single-molecule assay will help untangle the mysteries of using alpha-synuclein as a potential biomarker, Talli Somekh, the companys CEO, said in a press release. This technology can help to identify the smaller aggregate proteins that cause Parkinsons before they form large, insoluble particles in the brain.

With the support of The Michael J. Fox Foundation, our study aims to quantify very accurately the biomarker for Parkinsons at a much earlier stage of the disease,Somekh added.

A Parkinsons hallmark is the misfolding of the alpha-synuclein protein, which promotes its aggregation into clumps that are deadly to dopamine-producing nerve cells. These cells are responsible for releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is critical for regulating brain cell activity and function.

Focused on personalized medicine and treatment discoveries through a better understanding of proteins, Erisyon aims to commercialize the first single-molecule protein sequencer to upend how disease is detected, treated, and monitored.

A 2018 study into the companys proprietary new way of sequencing proteins showed the method wasmore sensitive than existing technology, identifying individual protein molecules instead of requiring millions of molecules at a time. The hope is that this technology developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin will make it easier to uncover diagnostic biomarkers for Parkinsons and other diseases, and broaden understanding of how cells function.

Next-generation technology has made sequencing the entire genome of any living organism swift, affordable, and accurate, accelerating biological research. The new technology offers quick and comprehensive information about millions of proteins that play a role in disease and in the normal functioning of cells.

In many disorders, including Parkinsons, cells produce proteins and other substances that act as unique biomarkers. Better detection of these biomarkers would help scientists understand what causes disorders such as Parkinsons, allowing more accurate, earlier diagnoses. Molecular biomarkers are gauges that provide insights into a patients health, and are key indicators of disease progression and companion diagnostics.

The scientific standard for sequencing proteins is a tool called mass spectrometry, which can detect a protein if there are about a million copies of it. As such, it can be insufficiently sensitive for many applications. Mass spectrometry also it has what is called a low throughput, meaning it can detect only a few thousand distinct protein types in a single sample.

Erisyon reports that its technology, with its single-molecule sensitivity, can isolate and measure blood serum-based biomarkers whose concentrations are below the sensitivity of existing techniques. It also has a high-throughput, being able to measure at least one billion individual proteins in a single sample.

Mary M. Chapman began her professional career at United Press International, running both print and broadcast desks. She then became a Michigan correspondent for what is now Bloomberg BNA, where she mainly covered the automotive industry plus legal, tax and regulatory issues. A member of the Automotive Press Association and one of a relatively small number of women on the car beat, Chapman has discussed the automotive industry multiple times of National Public Radio, and in 2014 was selected as an honorary judge at the prestigious Cobble Beach Concours dElegance. She has written for numerous national outlets including Time, People, Al-Jazeera America, Fortune, Daily Beast, MSN.com, Newsweek, The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press. The winner of the Society of Professional Journalists award for outstanding reporting, Chapman has had dozens of articles in The New York Times, including two on the coveted front page. She has completed a manuscript about centenarian car enthusiast Margaret Dunning, titled Belle of the Concours.

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Ins holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, where she specialized in blood vessel biology, blood stem cells, and cancer. Before that, she studied Cell and Molecular Biology at Universidade Nova de Lisboa and worked as a research fellow at Faculdade de Cincias e Tecnologias and Instituto Gulbenkian de Cincia. Ins currently works as a Managing Science Editor, striving to deliver the latest scientific advances to patient communities in a clear and accurate manner.

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