Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemonlime
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...-umm022614.php
According to Dr. Cosottini, the results show promise for earlier detection of the disease, which could speed the initiation of treatment.
"Parkinson's disease diagnosis remains clinically based, but with the introduction of 7-T MRI into clinical practice, a supporting radiologic diagnosis can be made," he said.
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NUS researchers create first highly sensitive small molecule fluorescence probe to evaluate potential risk for Parkinson’s disease and monitor its progression
A team of researchers from National University of Singapore (NUS) have created the first two-photon, small molecule fluorogenic probe that can serve as a useful tool for the rapid assessment of an individual’s potential risk for Parkinson’s disease. The highly sensitive fluorescence probe can detect with high precision the activity of Monoamine Oxidase B (MAO-B), an enzyme that is found in elevated levels in patients with Parkinson’s disease. This innovation paves the way for the development of less costly non-invasive technologies and devices to help monitor the risk and progression of Parkinson’s disease.
The high MAO-B activity consistently observed in patients with Parkinson’s disease has been proposed as a biomarker, but there has been a lack of suitable small molecule probes for MAO-B specific detection in live cells and tissues. The small molecule probe designed and synthesised by the NUS team addresses these inadequacies of existing probes. Their probe is highly sensitive and can detect MAO-B specifically with greater precision.
The study also found that in patients with Parkinson’s disease, MAO-B activities are present only in human B-lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell), but not in fibroblasts (cells typically found in connective tissues). “This suggests that MAO-B activity in peripheral blood cells of a patient might serve as an accessible and economical biomarker to evaluate the potential risk of an individual for this disease”, said Assoc Prof Lim. Presently there is no reliable biomarker for Parkinson’s disease, either at the diseased or preclinical state, except for dopamine-based PET imaging, which is costly and requires highly specialised skills to perform.
“The probe may potentially be useful to monitor patient’s response to medication”, said Associate Professor Louis Tan, Senior Consultant, Department of Neurology at the National Neuroscience Institute, whose team has recently shown in a separate study that long term use of a MAO-B inhibitor reduces the progression of early Parkinson’s disease.
http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/press-...ts-progression