Stellenbosch University

Andre Du Toit

Benjamin Loos

Willem Jacobus Perold

Jan Hendrik Servaas Hofmeyr

A method, device and system for determining autophagic flux are claimed. The levels of proteins which change with increased or decreased autophagy are determined in a sample. The change in the level of each protein is quantified in order to obtain the autophagic flux. This can be compared to a sample flux range associated with autophagy dysfunction or ageing patterns. Diseases or conditions which may be diagnosed include neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia, cancer, heart conditions, immune conditions or aging-related conditions. The device for determining autophagic flux comprises a housing, receiving zones configured for receiving a substrate and a biological sample, and a set of electrodes for each receiving zone. The device is connectable to circuitry that determines an electrical property of each substrate and uses this to determine the autophagic flux.

Growing community of inventors

Stellenbosch, South Africa

Andre Du Toit