According to a University press release, a researcher from UNM’s School of Engineering will serve as lead investigator on a three-year study, funded by the National Science Foundation, to examine links among some common and incurable neurodegenerative disorders.
Eva Chi, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering -- along with David Whitten in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Deborah Evans in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Kiran Bhaskar in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology -- will be involved in the study, according to the release.
The project, entitled “Development of a Novel Class of Protein Conformation Selective Molecular Sensors,” aims to develop sensors that will enable the early detection and tracking of diseases by detecting protein aggregates which form in the brain long before the onset of symptoms, according to the release.
“Right now, there is no way to detect these diseases other than the onset of symptoms,” Chi is quoted as saying in the press release. “Diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms, and a definitive diagnosis is still postmortem. But often with these diseases, the changes are happening in the brain for 20 years, long before there are clinical symptoms.”
According to the release, the findings of this research could lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment than what is currently available for patients with these diseases.
Alzheimer’s is the most prevalent dementia, with a case diagnosed in the U.S. every 60 seconds, according to the release.
Scientists have discovered that diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and many other disorders have commonalities even though they have different symptoms, according to the release.
The goal is to develop a new class of sensing molecules which can detect the protein misfolding process in the brain, according to the press release. In so doing, these new sensors will help researchers understand how such diseases begin and progress.
