Scientists from the University of Sheffield’s Institute of Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) have helped to identify pathological abnormalities associated with motor neurone disease using a new imaging technique. The new technique, developed at the University of Birmingham , enables specific proteins to be examined in their native state, directly from brain and spinal cord tissue samples. Called native ambient mass spectrometry (NAMS), the tool enables the structure of proteins to be studied in relation to their location within the tissue in greater detail than ever before.
Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. The new method will help scientists better understand the changes in the brain that lead to motor neurone disease (MND) and could provide insights that will help with the development of new treatments. Motor neurone disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, is a muscle wasting condition caused by messages from the brain’s motor neurones not reaching the muscles, causing them to weaken.
Around 5,000 people in the UK have the disease at any one time and currently there is no cure. The SITraN scientists were able to identify a metal deficiency in a specific protein, known as SOD1, and show that it accumulates in specific regions of the brain and spinal cord in mice with MND. SOD1 h.