Posted: December 15, 2009 |
Gel electrophoresis detects proteins that make us age |
(Nanowerk News) Chemists and biologists from the University of Bath have developed a new technique that could be used to diagnose and develop treatments for age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cancer.
|
In these diseases, proteins in the body react with sugars in a process called glycation. This modifies the protein’s function and can trigger complications such as inflammation and premature aging.
|
The team at Bath, led by Dr Jean van den Elsen and Dr Tony James, has developed a technique that can detect glycated proteins and could in the future be used for diagnosing a whole range of diseases in patients.
|
|
The project was a cross-departmental collaboration between biologists and chemists at the University of Bath, led by Dr Jean van den Elsen (front right) and Dr Tony James (back right).
|
They used a technique called gel electrophoresis, where samples are put into a thin gel layer and an electric current is applied. The gel acts like a molecular sieve, sorting proteins from the samples according to their size and shape, allowing scientists to identify whether specific proteins are present in the blood.
|
For this study, the researchers have patented a new type of gel electrophoresis, which uses boronic acid to distinguish between the glycated and unmodified proteins.
|
Dr Tony James from the University’s Department of Chemistry explained: "Not all sugars are ‘bad’ - in fact many proteins contain beneficial ‘good’ sugar units.
|
“However, some sugars can be ‘bad’ and cause complications in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes.
|
Dr Jean van den Elsen, from the University’s Department of Biology & Biochemistry, said: "Our method specifically recognises these ‘bad’ sugars in the presence of the ‘good’ sugars and as such is an excellent diagnostic tool.”
|
PhD student Marta Pereira Morais added: “We believe our method will also aid the development of new drug based therapies for these diseases."
|
Whilst the technique has only been assessed in the lab at present, the researchers say it has the potential to be developed into a test for these conditions in patients.
|
Dr James added: “Currently there is no blood test for Alzheimer’s disease.
|
“If we can develop this technique into a test, doctors could potentially diagnose patients at an early stage before their symptoms show up in a brain scan.”
|
The method could also be used to diagnose diabetes, which also leads to elevated levels of glycated proteins in the blood.
|
Dr van den Elsen said: “Whilst there are other methods of detecting diabetes, this will be an excellent way to measure the level of this glycation damage.”
|
The importance of the technique has been recognised by publication in the scientific journal Proteomics and by the University which has patented the method.
|
The project was funded from a number of sources including the University’s Enterprise Development Fund (EDF), the Biotechnology & Biologcial Sciences Research Council and the Royal Society.
|
The team is now looking for industrial collaborators to help develop the technique further with the aid of the University’s technology transfer centre, Bath Ventures.
|