Scientists at the UK's National Physical Laboratory have developed a new strategy for quicker and more precise detection of biomarkers - proteins which indicate disease. The work could pave the way for new tools to detect early stages of Alzheimer's and cancer at the molecular level.
All diseases have proteins specifically linked to them called biomarkers. Identifying these in body fluid such as blood can be a powerful tool in identifying diseases in their early stages. This would help doctors increase the success rate of treatment through early intervention and help drug companies develop more effective drugs for these diseases.
The search for new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to underpin targeted medicines is of growing priority. However the potential of biomarkers is currently hampered by technical difficulties in detecting them. They are often present at very low levels, in amongst many other different proteins. Reducing a sample down to a concentration where they could be identified is difficult and time-consuming.
"This new strategy, developed by NPL, uses a probe to 'fish' for likely proteins, selecting them from a crowded blood sample," says Dr Max Ryadnov, Principle Research Scientist in the group. "A microgel on the probe works like a sponge, picking up proteins which have a charge or mass within a certain range." Whether or not the biomarker is present in this more select sample can then be determined using mass spectrometry - a technique where the molecules are charged and identified from their mass-to-charge ratio.