Principal Investigator: Marzena Kurzawa-Akanbi

Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies are common neurodegenerative conditions with rapidly increasing prevalence. These disorders are often grouped under the term Lewy body disorders due to their shared characteristic: the presence of Lewy bodies in the patients’ brains. Lewy bodies are abnormal clumps within nerve cells, thought to form to protect the cells from the accumulation of harmful material. Some of these clumps can be more toxic than others and are identified with antibodies, however producing specific antibodies can be challenging.

This project proposes a new way to detect toxic clumps by designing synthetic alternatives to antibodies, which are simpler to produce and offer more consistent performance than natural antibodies. These alternatives could improve diagnosis for patients.