Biases in α-synuclein immuno-quantitation: a core problem for basic and ancillary studies of Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy.

The article discusses the challenges and biases in quantifying alpha-synuclein (α-syn) amyloids, which are associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). The authors compared different methods for quantifying amyloid α-syn in brain samples and found that traditional methods, such as SDS-PAGE, were not effective in resolving amyloid forms. They developed a filter-blot method that allowed for a robust comparison of amyloid loads between samples. Additionally, they developed an in-house ELISA method that accurately quantified α-syn, including amyloid forms. These new methods provide valuable tools for studying α-syn amyloids in neurodegenerative diseases. [Extracted from the article]