New technology identifies disease-causing particles in the blood

Autoimmune diseases—that is, diseases in which our own immune system damages the body—are growing, but we don't know much about the causes of them
.

The researchers are now one step closer to finding an explanation
.

With the help of a new technology, researchers at Aarhus University succeeded in identifying the particles in the blood that determine the development of autoimmune diseases

“We can see that the proportion of large particles in the blood of patients is higher
.

Christian Juul Madsen, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University, explains: “Because of their size, they are distributed exactly on the edge of the blood vessel.

He is the lead author of a recently published study that describes how researchers can use a new technology that allows them to track specific protein particles in a patient's blood sample and measure their nanometer size
.

By doing so, we clearly recognize that the size and structure of the particles are critical to the development of the disease

"We connect protein particles with small metal particles, which emit strong fluorescence under laser irradiation
.

We can track this process on the screen, which allows us to find that patients with lupus have a much higher concentration of large particles.

"This technology makes it possible to identify something that is rare but essential to the development of a patient with lupus
.

We believe that in order to avoid this disease, you must stay below a critical level

Early diagnosis of the disease is important because treatment can reduce symptoms and prevent organ damage
.

Therefore, it is also very interesting for researchers to take a blood sample in a clinical environment and know whether the patient is developing lupus erythematosus or is already sick in five minutes

Blood samples collected

The study of lupus patients was established in collaboration with the Department of Rheumatology at Aarhus University Hospital.
Anne Margrethe Troldborg, the chief registrar of the hospital and an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedicine, has collected one of the most extensive lupus cohorts in Denmark
.

Her study of patients with lupus provides researchers with an opportunity because they have already collected blood samples from patients and controls-otherwise this would take several years

People expect this new technology to become a clinical diagnostic tool in Aarhus University Hospital within 5-10 years
.

patented technology

The discovery of disease-causing particles has given people a better understanding of the causes of the disease
.

In the long run, it is expected to help prevent the development of lupus and improve researchers' knowledge of genetics and other factors
.
Kristian Juul Madsen and Professor Thomas Vorup-Jensen applied for a patent for this technology, which they called NIP-Q (Nano-level Immunologically Active Protein Quantitative)
.

At first, the patent was only applicable to the analysis of proteins in patients with lupus, but the research team believes that the technology can also be used to diagnose other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
.

"In the research community, the focus is on how inflammatory diseases cause the release of DNA in the blood, and this process can activate the immune system to a certain extent
.
But through the analysis of the size of blood components, we have gained a new understanding.

Thomas Vorup-Jensen Said: "It is very fascinating to see how we use this new technology to discover the relationship between particle size and immune response
.
"

He explained that it is often difficult for doctors to make an accurate diagnosis and monitor the development of autoimmune diseases
.
This may make it difficult to make decisions about drugs and measure their effects
.

“However, the cost of autoimmune diseases continues to increase.
This is not only the result of the increase in their incidence, but also the result of the development of expensive new drugs.

Thomas Vorup-Jensen said: “Therefore, in order to be able to To regulate treatment in a responsible way in health economics, it is necessary to adopt better measurement methods
.
"

 

Research results-more information:

• This study is an experimental analysis of protein structure, both in pure form and compared with blood samples collected from patients with lupus
  .
  On the basis of the protein particle size (hydrodynamic radius) value obtained in the experiment, the distribution of protein particles in the blood under the conditions of known vessel diameter and blood pressure was calculated theoretically
  .
  This research also includes experiments conducted on mice
  .
  

• The research was carried out in collaboration with researchers from Aarhus University, Aarhus University Hospital, the University of Copenhagen, and the National Institutes of Health of Maryland
  .
  

• This research was supported by the Aarhus University Research Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and Lundbeck Foundation
  .
  

• The research team has filed a patent application for this invention, and Aarhus University is the owner of the invention
  .
  

• This research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS): (https://doi.
  org/10.
  1073/pnas.
  2106647118)
  

Article title

Characterization of DNA–protein complexes by nanoparticle tracking analysis and their association with systemic lupus erythematosus