Katharina Buczek
In turn, the research team first extracted skin samples from ALS patients and a healthy control group.
Then, they reprogrammed these cells into “induced pluripotent stem cells”– or cells that are very similar to the ones present during the early stages of human development.
“Basically, we turned back the clock and generated neurons imitating the developmental stage of a fetus,” Winner said.
Afterward, the team looked for insoluble proteins in the ALS patients’ samples. And miraculously, they discovered NOVA1– an RNA-binding protein– that was not present in the control group.
The researchers have since investigated what NOVA1 binds to and the impact this binding has on human neurons.
And now, they believe this discovery may open the door to early ALS diagnosis and new treatment options following further research.
“We have made a pioneering discovery, but it is only one first step towards possibly being able to detect ALS in the early stages. Follow-up studies with larger cohorts could deepen our understanding of the importance of RNA-binding proteins,” Winner concluded.
To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.
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