Prion Cell Assays for Differentiating α-Synuclein Strains in Synucleinopathies to Advance Neurodegenerative Diagnostics and Treatments

Technology Description

UCSF inventors have developed an assay that differentiates conformations or strains of α-synuclein prions, which are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA). By leveraging mutant α-synuclein in cultured HEK cells, this technology identifies distinct prion strains and enables precise characterization, offering new insights into disease pathogenesis and patient diagnostics. Currently in development, the assay improves the accuracy of clinical trial participant selection and retrospective analyses by reliably determining synucleinopathy subtypes. With applications in drug development, diagnostic refinement, and therapeutic targeting, this platform is poised to accelerate advances in treatments for α-synucleinopathies.

Related Materials

• Different a-synuclein prion strains cause dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy, PMID: 35115402 PMCID: PMC8833220 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2113489119 - 02/08/2022

Patent Status

Patent Pending