Recent advances in the study of proteomes (ie the entire range of proteins expressed by human cells and tissues) have opened up new opportunities for identifying biological markers of certain diseases or mental disorders. This could, in turn, help prevent, diagnose and treat these medical conditions.
Researchers at Fudan University recently set out to examine proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with and without Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
The results of their analyzes and experiments, presented in a paper published in Nature Human Behaviorrevealed specific proteins in CSF that could serve as disease biomarkers.
“Our recent work arose from the urgent need to improve the early diagnosis and prediction of AD,” Jintai Yu and Yu Guo, co-authors of the paper, told Medical Xpress. “This study was inspired by the growing understanding that Alzheimer’s has a complex and multifaceted pathophysiology that current diagnostic methods fail to comprehensively capture.”
The primary objective of the recent study by Yu, Guo, and their colleagues was to identify specific biomarkers in human CSF that could help accurately detect AD and predict its progression.
To do this, the researchers analyzed CSF samples taken from patients diagnosed with AD who were at different stages of the disease, as well as samples from cognitively normal individuals.
New opportunities for identifying certain diseases or mental disorders
“We used multiplex proteomics, a sophisticated method that allows the simultaneous measurement of multiple proteins within a sample,” said Yu and Guo. “This technique involved mass spectrometry, which is extremely sensitive and able to detect even minute changes in protein levels.”
Analyzes by Yu, Guo, and their colleagues revealed proteins that are linked to the underlying pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, while also identifying proteins that could indicate inflammation, neuronal damage, and other disturbances in human physiological processes.
By comparing the proteomic profiles of patients diagnosed with AD to those of controls, they discovered new biomarkers that could help diagnose and predict AD progression.
“The most notable finding of this study is the identification of the novel CSF biomarker YWHAG,” said Yu and Guo, according to MedicalXpress.
Tools for the accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
To evaluate the effectiveness of the biomarkers they identified, the researchers conducted another follow-up study in an independent, external cohort of patients. The results of this study validated the power of biomarkers.
In addition, using autopsy data, the authors showed that the biomarkers they identified could help distinguish between samples taken from people who died with AD and those taken from other people who never received an AD diagnosis, overcoming existing biomarkers used to diagnose the disease.
Using sophisticated proteome analysis techniques, the researchers were able to reveal the molecular changes associated with AD, which proved to be a very promising diagnostic target.
In the future, this study could contribute to the development of high-precision tools for the accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as early targeted therapeutic interventions.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
