Alpha-synuclein misfolding is a leading contender for the cause of PD. So, anything which enables the measurement of the misfolding process is to be welcomed.

Nanopore analysis is a quick way of discovering drugs which help to reduce alpha-synuclein misfolding. "Nanopore analysis is an emerging technique that enables the investigation of the conformation of a single peptide or protein molecule. Briefly, a pore is inserted into a membrane under voltage clamp conditions. When a molecule interacts with the pore there is a change in the current, I, for a time, T." [1]

Using this technique, researchers at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, have shown that both nicotine and caffeine bind to alpha-synuclein, reducing misfolding. The use of both drugs may have an effect that is much larger than either one on its own [2].

References

[1] Prion. 2012 Apr-Jun;6(2):116-23. doi: 10.4161/pri.18665. Epub 2012 Apr 1.
"Nanopore analysis: An emerging technique for studying the folding and misfolding of proteins."
Madampage C, Tavassoly O, Christensen C, Kumari M, Lee JS.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22421211

[2] "Caffeine, nicotine may help hinder disease"
Jonathan Charlton, The Starphoenix
Published: Wednesday, April 09, 2014
http://www2.canada.com/reginaleaderp...5-496af9fa5804

John