Output details

Polyglutamine aggregate structure in vitro and in vivo; new avenues for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy

Significance of output:

This collaboration between researchers from Universities of Southampton, Manchester, Sussex and Twente (Netherlands) provides the first reported example of the use of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy (CARS) for establishing protein structure inside a living organism. While protein structure determination in vitro is well established, we demonstrate a first - protein structure determination in vivo, and apply it to polyglutamine aggregation as implicated in age-related Huntington’s disease. The study firmly establishes the potential of CARS as a tool for understanding the etiology of misfolding proteins, a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases. Stimulating present efforts for pre-symptomatic diagnosis of Alzheimer's and macular-degeneration.