Protea and UK research group study molecular changes in Alzheimer's

Protea Biosciences, based in Morgantown, Va., is collaborating with the Carare Research Group at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom, to develop a technology that will “mine” brain cells affected by Alzheimer's in order to visualize vast numbers of molecules simultaneously. 

The partnership, announced May 30, will make use of Protea's proprietary direct molecular imaging technology, known as Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization (LAESI), to study the molecular underpinnings of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

A research team will be led by Roxana Carare, MD, PhD, principal investigator for Carare Research Group, and Matthew Powell, PhD, and Greg Kilby PhD, principal investigator for Protea Biosciences as they explore how the production of cells and all of their parts, including metabolites, lipids and proteins, take place at the molecular level. The research is aimed toward developing new biomarkers that could inform potential treatments for the neurodegenerative disease.

"We are delighted that the novel molecular techniques from Protea Biosciences will be applied to brain tissue," said Carare in a press release. “ We anticipate that novel biomarkers for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease or markers that identify the risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s disease will be discovered and make significant progress in the field of biomedical research.”

Protea reports that LAESI is able to identify more than 1,000 individual molecules in one 2D or 3D scan without requiring cell sample preparation, including separation and sorting, which allows for more unbiased data.