Light beam captures Alzheimer’s-linked proteins for new disease insights

Researchers at Nottingham Trent University are pioneering a groundbreaking study that uses high concentrations of light to examine the fast structural changes in single proteins linked to Alzheimer’s, offering new insights into the disease's progression.

This first-of-its-kind research aims to deepen understanding of the neurodegenerative process, which begins as much as 20 years before symptoms appear. By studying these early-stage changes, the team hopes to pave the way for early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Led by Dr Cuifeng Ying from the university’s Advanced Optics and Photonics group, the research is supported by the Academy of Medical Sciences. Dr Ying’s technique isolates and monitors the behaviour of single proteins in their natural environment without altering them, a crucial step forward in understanding how these proteins contribute to disease.

Proteins that aggregate abnormally in the brain are known to be a key factor in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. However, current technologies cannot track the motions and behaviour of these individual proteins without modifying them, which can hinder insights into their true functions.

The team’s novel technique overcomes this limitation by using a high concentration of light transmitted through an engineered nanostructure. This creates enough force to ‘grasp’ and hold a single protein, which is far thinner than a strand of hair, within a fluid without damaging it. By analysing how the light scatters, researchers can gather real-time data on how the protein behaves.

The study will use proteins extracted from fruit flies, which share a significant portion of their genes with humans, to examine how these proteins change over different stages of the disease. The researchers will also explore how the proteins respond to various drug treatments.

With nearly 1 million people in the UK affected by dementia, a key symptom of late-stage Alzheimer’s, the research is vital. Alzheimer’s currently costs the UK nearly £35 billion annually, a figure projected to rise with the aging population.

"Innovative approaches are urgently needed to understand the triggers of these diseases, enabling earlier disease detection and treatment," said Dr Ying. "By studying single proteins in their natural state, we can observe how they behave over time, providing critical insights into the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and helping drive the development of earlier diagnoses and therapies."

The research is funded through the Academy of Medical Sciences’ Springboard programme, in partnership with the Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Wellcome, and the British Heart Foundation. UK Science Minister Lord Vallance emphasised the importance of such research in addressing major health challenges and supporting early-career researchers.

Through this work, the team hopes to reduce the number of people affected by neurodegenerative diseases and alleviate associated healthcare costs.

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