Amprion, Inc.

University of Texas System

Shahnawaz, Mohammad

Jara, Claudio Soto

Vollrath, Benedikt K.

Lebovitz, Russell M.

Mohammad Shahnawaz

Benedikt K Vollrath

Russell M Lebovitz

Claudio Soto Jara

Luis Concha

Claudio Soto-Jara

Nicolas Mendez Dinamarca

A method is provided for distinguishing between and/or diagnosing Parkinson's disease (PD) or multiple system atrophy (MSA) in a subject who is exhibiting symptoms associated with both PD and MSA. The method comprises: (A) contacting a biological sample obtained from the subject and comprising soluble, misfolded alpha-synuclein (αS) protein with a pre-incubation mixture comprising a monomeric αS substrate and an indicator to form an incubation mixture; (B) conducting an incubation cycle two or more times on the incubation mixture to form misfolded αS aggregates; (C) subjecting the incubation mixture to excitation and detecting via indicator fluorescence emission the misfolded αS aggregates; and (D) diagnosing the subject has having PD or MSA depending on the fluorescence emission intensity. In some aspects, the incubation cycles are conducted in the presence of a bead.

Discriminating Parkinson's disease from multiple system atrophy using alpha-synuclein PMCA

Methods and kits are provided for amplifying and detecting misfolded tau protein from samples, for example, from patients having tauopathies such as Alzheimer's Disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and the like.

Detection of misfolded tau protein

Methods and kits are provided for amplifying and detecting &#x3b1;S proteins from samples, for example, from patients having Parkinson's Disease. For example, a method for determining a presence of a soluble, misfolded &#x3b1;S protein may include: contacting the sample with a monomeric, folded &#x3b1;S protein to form an incubation mixture; conducting an incubation cycle two or more times on the incubation mixture effective to form an amplified portion of misfolded &#x3b1;S protein; incubating the incubation mixture effective to cause misfolding and/or aggregation of at least a portion of the monomeric, folded &#x3b1;S protein in the presence of the soluble, misfolded &#x3b1;S protein; physically disrupting the incubation mixture effective to at least partly de-aggregate at least a portion of a misfolded &#x3b1;S aggregate present; and determining the presence of the soluble, misfolded &#x3b1;S protein in the sample by detecting at least a portion of the soluble, misfolded &#x3b1;S protein.

Detection of misfolded alpha synuclein protein

Methods and kits are provided for amplifying and detecting A&#x3b2; proteins from samples, for example, from patients having Alzheimer's Disease. For example, a method for determining a presence of a soluble, misfolded A&#x3b2; protein may include contacting the sample with a monomeric, folded A&#x3b2; protein to form an incubation mixture; conducting an incubation cycle two or more times on the incubation mixture effective to form an amplified portion of misfolded A&#x3b2; protein; incubating the incubation mixture effective to cause misfolding and/or aggregation of at least a portion of the monomeric, folded A&#x3b2; protein; physically disrupting the incubation mixture effective to at least partly de-aggregate at least a portion of a misfolded A&#x3b2; aggregate present; and determining the presence of the soluble, misfolded A&#x3b2; protein in the sample by detecting at least a portion of the amplified portion of misfolded A&#x3b2; protein.

Detection of misfolded amyloid beta protein

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Mohammad Shahnawaz