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MDS 2022 | The current and future scope of α-synuclein research

Tiago Outeiro, PhD, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany, provides details about the current and future scope of synucleinopathies research. The development of new diagnostic tools like real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT- QuIC) and positron emission technology (PET) will help to identify the accumulation of α-synuclein in the brain cells. Although evidence suggests protein accumulation in the brain, the reason behind the contribution of α-synuclein in producing toxicity is still unclear. New studies are being conducted to develop new diagnostic tools and assess selective vulnerability and cell biology, which can provide a deeper understanding of the cause of synucleinopathies. This interview took place at the 2022 International Congress of Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders in Madrid, Spain.

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Transcript (edited for clarity)

So, the future of synuclein research is to continue the synuclein research. I think we are learning a lot. We are developing novel tools, the RT-QuIC that we just talked about, possibly also the PET tracers that will enable us to image alpha-synuclein in the brains of people. So, I think these are all exciting news and developments that we’ve seen in recent years. But we should not forget that we still need to really understand if this protein is the cause of the toxicity...

So, the future of synuclein research is to continue the synuclein research. I think we are learning a lot. We are developing novel tools, the RT-QuIC that we just talked about, possibly also the PET tracers that will enable us to image alpha-synuclein in the brains of people. So, I think these are all exciting news and developments that we’ve seen in recent years. But we should not forget that we still need to really understand if this protein is the cause of the toxicity. We know there’s a connection. There’s no doubt. We know that mutations cause disease. We know that the protein accumulates in the brains of the patients, but we cannot say that the accumulations in the brain, that the Lewy bodies are what’s causing toxicity.

There’s strong evidence, but there’s also some good arguments that should make us step back and think if this is really the cause of the disease. So, I think we need to continue the cell biology studies, the basic understanding of what happens. We need to understand the selective vulnerability of certain types of neurons. Is it because there’s something specific happening in those cells? Or is it because they are just more vulnerable in general? So, I think there’s a lot of exciting research going on all around the world. And in the future years, we’ll learn more to the point that we’ll be able to, in a more informed way, pursue certain strategies that hopefully will result in better diagnostics and therapeutic opportunities.

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