Recently published by University College Galway and their international colleagues shows the potential to develop glycan-focussed theaputic devices to treat and diagnose Parkinson’s Disease writes Terence Cosgrave R esearchers at CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre for Medical Devices based at University of Galway, together with collaborators at the Medical University of South Carolina and Vienna University of Technology, have, for the first time, identified critical targets in the molecular signature of Parkinson’s disease across different stages of the disease’s progression. The results of their research have been published in the prestigious journal PNAS Nexus. More than 10 million people are living with Parkinson’s disease worldwide, making it the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease.
The complete molecular signature of Parkinson’s, however, remains unclear. In particular, untangling molecules related to the disease called glycans has been challenging, due to their complexity and lack of analytical tools. Glycans (sugars) are found on the cell’s surface and are fundamental in ensuring the correct flow of information between cells.
Glycans participate in cell-to-cell communication by attaching to other molecules, such as fats (lipids) and proteins. The research published in PNAS Nexus provides a complete characterisation of the glycans associated with the connections in the brain that are affected by.