The fatal, progressive neurological condition currently affects around 5,000 people in the UK.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Aberdeen have revealed that an aptamer (biological molecules) tool can successfully detect early signs of motor neurone disease (MND).
Published in Acta Neuropathologica, the aptamer was collaboratively developed by scientists at the University of Edinburgh, the Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia, King’s College London and the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Spain.
Currently affecting around 5,000 people in the UK, MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing neurological condition caused by the accumulation of proteins in the brain that clump together to gradually stop cells from working.
The new method works to detect MND by targeting the protein association with the disease in brain tissue before the onset of symptoms. It uses small biological molecules to bind to protein clumps that accumulate in the brains of people living with MND.
Funded by Target ALS, researchers from Edinburgh and Aberdeen discovered that the aptamer tool could successfully identify the signs of MND in humans earlier than current tests, enabling faster intervention and treatment.
Offering the potential to supplement or replace conventional approaches to MND research, the aptamer was able to successfully identify damaged proteins in brain tissue samples before the cells malfunctioned, a stage when MND symptoms would usually appear.
Set to be licensed by the University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service, Edinburgh Innovations, the research team believes that this approach could help address the challenges of detecting MND earlier.
“Unlike the antibodies used in current testing for MND, aptamers are synthesised in the laboratory, offering a more cost-effective and reliable alternative,” said Dr Mathew Horrocks, school of chemistry, University of Edinburgh.
The University of Aberdeen’s Dr Jenna Gregory commented: “This tool ‘targets’ the disease protein and allows us to see where toxic clumps are building up in the body.”
With “much lower amounts of disease proteins and with greater accuracy than ever before,” the tool “could be a game-changer for MND research, diagnostics and treatment,” added Gregory.
