A TEAM of Bradford scientists have helped to discover a potential new way of tackling Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from the university teamed up with a group from the University of Dundee to look at the proteins that can lead to the devastating condition, which leads to memory loss and difficulties with normal brain functions.

The team says the discovery is a “major step forward” in Alzheimer’s treatments, as well the treatment of other debilitating conditions, and means research need no longer be done in expensive laboratories.

Their findings have recently been published in the journal Nature.

The new methodology involves trapping proteins that bear a specific modification that can provide potential markers for conditions. The modification is based on sugar, and when attached to a protein affects how the protein functions. Protein modification is a normal cellular function, but in some instances it can go wrong with devastating results.

Alzheimer’s, along with other conditions including cancers, type 2 diabetes, and cardio-vascular disease, is affected by abnormal regulation of these sugar modifications to proteins, and identifying such proteins is a key step in understanding how they are involved in the condition. The new methodology could open the way for treatments that target these protein alterations, and ultimately help treat or prevent the condition.

Previously, capturing these proteins has been very difficult as the modification was prone to “falling off” the protein. In order to capture them, researcher’s required highly specialised lab equipment. This new method is simple and can be carried out by any lab, opening the way to identify proteins involved in the development of a number of diseases. It also opens up the possibilities for therapies to be developed to target potentially harmful proteins.

The method they developed involves growing a protein with a “tail” that grabs the sugar-modified protein only and can be used as a handle to pull out all proteins that bear the dangerous sugar modification.

Dr Ritchie Williamson of the University of Bradford said: “This methodology represents a major step forward.

“We are now in a position where we can easily trap the proteins we need to target. If we can do this we can then identify the proteins which we think may be involved in the disease process. We also have the potential to find biomarkers, especially in younger people, and to probe different diseases.”