Conditions such as Parkinson's disease are a result of pathogenic
changes to proteins. In the neurodegenerative condition of Parkinson's
disease, which is currently incurable, the alpha-synuclein protein
changes and becomes pathological. Until now, there have not been any
antibodies that could help to demonstrate the change in alpha-synuclein
associated with the disease. An international team of experts led by
Gabor G. Kovacs from the Clinical Institute of Neurology at the MedUni
Vienna has now discovered a new antibody that actually possesses this
ability.
"It opens up new possibilities for the development of a diagnostic
test for Parkinsonism," says Kovacs, highlighting the importance of this
discovery. "This new antibody will enable us to find the pathological
conformation in bodily fluids such as blood or CSF." A clinical study
involving around 200 patients is already underway, and the first
definitive results are expected at the end of 2012. The tests being
carried out in collaboration with the University Department of
Neurology, led by Walter Pirker, are designed to determine the extent to
which the new antibody can be used as an early diagnostic tool in order
to understand the condition better and be able to treat it more
effectively.
A step towards a blood test for Parkinson's With Parkinsonism, the
diseased form of alpha-synuclein, which has the same primary structure
as the healthy form, undergoes an "abnormal fold." Says Kovacs: "Until
now, however, it was not possible to distinguish between the two." The
previous immunodiagnostic techniques only allowed the general presence
of alpha-synuclein to be confirmed. The new, monoclonal antibody,
however, which the researchers at the MedUni Vienna have developed in
collaboration with the German biotech firm Roboscreen, is now able to
detect a strategic part of the protein responsible for the structural
changes. The results of the study have now been published in the
journal Acta Neuropathologica.
Says Kovacs: "It is still not possible to say whether or not we will
be able to diagnose Parkinson's from a blood test, but this discovery
certainly represents a major step in that direction." Theoretically, it
should be possible to diagnose Parkinson's disease five to eight years
before it develops.
In Austria, there are between 15,000 and 16,000 people living with
Parkinson's syndrome. Its frequency increases with age. As society
becomes older, Parkinson's disease, a degenerative condition of the
brain, will become an increasingly widespread problem.
Journal Reference:
- Gabor G. Kovacs, Uta Wagner, Benoit Dumont, Maria Pikkarainen, Awad A. Osman, Nathalie Streichenberger, Irene Leisser, Jérémy Verchère, Thierry Baron, Irina Alafuzoff, Herbert Budka, Armand Perret-Liaudet, Ingolf Lachmann. An antibody with high reactivity for disease-associated α-synuclein reveals extensive brain pathology. Acta Neuropathologica, 2012; 124 (1): 37 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-012-0964-x