Alzheimer’s is marked by a loss of brain cells, whereas glioblastoma is responsible for rapid cell growth. The unexpected relationship between the two, known as ’inverse comorbidity’, suggests that there might be a deeper biological connection we don’t yet understand. If we could work out what that connection is, we might be able to design vital new treatments.
Now, a Manchester team are on a mission to discover the answer and make a positive difference, through what they’ve called the NanoNeuroOmics Project.
The challenge they face
Both Alzheimer’s disease and glioblastoma are often quite well-advanced in a person, by the time they’re diagnosed. The current methods we use for this, such as PET or MRI scans, still aren’t very effective at early detection. What we really need are simple blood tests that can spot changes early on.In both conditions, the blood-brain barrier (which normally protects our brain), becomes more permeable - meaning it’s possible to detect disease-related molecules in the blood. This could in turn help us to identify people who were more at risk, and to monitor responses to different types of treatment.
However, it won’t be easy. In current blood tests, when we’re looking for certain proteins - key indicators of disease - they’re often drowned out by a range of other proteins. Developing a way to spot those blood-based ’biomarkers’ for brain health, which can easily be used in clinical practice, would be a key next step.
How Manchester innovation could make a difference
By merging expertise in nanotechnology, protein analysis, and blood biomarker discovery, the NanoOmics lab are aiming to:- Identify new blood proteins(biomarkers) that could help in the early diagnosis and monitoring of the Alzheimer’s and glioblastoma.
- To understand more about the link that Alzheimer’s and glioblastoma share.
The NanoOmics lab is looking to identify these unique biomarkers by tracking protein changes in blood and the brain over time, and across different stages of both diseases. They will use nanotechnology to detect these ’protein markers,’ employing nanoparticles to isolate them from the multitude of other molecules present in the blood. With their ’Nanoomics’ technology, these nanoparticles capture disease-related molecules, acting almost like tiny ’fishing nets’. Using this approach, the team can filter out a huge number of other proteins that are currently getting in the way. In turn, by analysing what they’ve captured, our researchers are aiming to identify new biomarkers that are currently undetectable by state-of-the art protein analysis approaches.
Hope for the future
To achieve this, Group Leader Dr Marilena Hadjidemetriou and her NanoOmics team have been combining long-term studies in lab models, with validation studies using biofluids obtained from human patients.The aim isn’t only to search for new blood biomarkers, but to gain further insight into how neurological conditions work, so that we can connect changes we see in our blood with changes that can happen in our brain.
Their approach is multidisciplinary, working with experts across both nanotechnology and omics sciences, to improve early disease detection and hopefully develop personalised treatment for future patients.
NanoNeuroOmics represents a significant step forward in the quest to understand, detect and treat complex neurological diseases.
About Dr Marilena Hadjidemetriou
Dr Hadjidemetriou is the NanoOmics Group Leader, and a Lecturer in Nanomedicine in Manchester’s School of Biological Sciences.She joined the Nanomedicine Lab at the University of Manchester as a Marie Curie Early-Stage Fellow and full-time PhD candidate, working on the development of the nanoparticle protein corona as a tool for cancer diagnostics.
After her PhD, Dr Hadjidemetriou was granted a postdoctoral fellowship by the Medical Research Council, to focus on the discovery of novel biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease. She was also awarded a Manchester Molecular Pathology Innovation Centre Pump Priming Grant and the CRUK Pioneer Award, to work on the nanoparticle-enabled discovery of blood biomarkers for a variety of pathologies.
Now leading the NanoOmics lab Dr Hadjidemetriou is aiming to develop nanotechnology platforms that explore disease pathways and uncover molecular biomarkers.
Dr Hadjidemetriou’s recent research includes:
Nanoparticle-Enabled Enrichment of Longitudinal Blood Proteomic Fingerprints in Alzheimer’s Disease
To discuss this research, contact Dr Marilena Hadjidemetriou at marilena.hadjidemetriou@manchester.ac.uk
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