In the UK, 127,000 people are affected by the progressive neurodegenerative condition Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's is extremely difficult to diagnose in its early stages. The current method of diagnosis includes examination for physical signs of Parkinson's along with a detailed history of symptoms. The defining neuropathological characteristics of Parkinson's disease is Lewy bodies. Lewy bodies are protein aggregates found in nerve cells that eventually lead to neurodegeneration. Many previous studies have shown strong staining of Lewy bodies from Parkinson’s disease with antibodies for the protein alpha-Synuclein, suggesting it may be the main component of Parkinson’s disease degeneration.
Many researchers have been able to use antibodies to detect the presence of alpha Synuclein in the disease, however there have not been any antibodies that could assist in detecting the change that occurs in this protein associated with Parkinson’s. The ability to detect a change in alpha-Synuclein has major implications in developing a diagnostic test for Parkinson’s disease, and for providing better treatment in the early stages. Researchers at the Clinical Institute of Neurology at the MedUni Vienna have now discovered a new antibody that is able to detect the part of the alpha Synuclein protein that causes its structural changes. In Parkinson’s AlphaSynuclein undergoes an abnormal fold and this is what the researchers are now able to detect. This new antibody is a major step forward in finding a suitable diagnostic test.
Novus Biologicals is proud to offer a wide variety of top quality alpha-Synuclein antibodies, proteins, lysates, antibody pairs and RNAi products for your research needs.
