Asi | Italian Space Agency

It can produce astronaut health monitoring activities Positive results on community health. An example of this is a related study Early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases This is according to a cooperation agreement betweenItalian Space Agency And theFederico II University of Naples – Department of Chemical Materials Engineering and Industrial Production.

Activities agreement “Developing innovative health-related technologies in space”presents important innovative research results published in Biosensors and bioelectronics, an important trade magazine. the paper Demonstrates possibility Detection of early biomarkers Neurodegenerative diseases can be detected through a simple urine test. These studies pave the way for reform New screening standards Of neurodegenerative diseases in the population.

“It should be noted that the application of the technology specified under the Convention is not limited to neurodegeneration alone, but can also be extended to the detection of other types of biomarkers present in biological fluids in low quantities – they explain. Francesca Ferrante H Sylvia Marie, from the Science and Research Directorate of ASI – It is widely documented that neurodegenerative diseases can only be treated effectively if they are diagnosed early. In this context, the two experts continued, it appears that structural changes in some biomolecules, such as tau, play a major role in the mechanism of neurodegeneration, becoming suitable targets for early diagnosis.

“In this test, we demonstrate for the first time the detection of pre-aggregated tau in synthetic urine at the femtomolar level, through the focusing effect of electrohydrodynamic jet (p-jet) technology,” he explains. Pier Luca Maffetone, head of the research group at the Federico II University – we have demonstrated an excellent linear calibration curve with a detection limit of 130 fM. Moreover, for the first time we reveal the stability of the protein structure after p-jet application through an in-depth spectroscopic investigation.

“Although we can take advantage of a wide range of standardized techniques to study intermediate oligomers, the key neurotoxins for the development of neurodegenerative diseases, they are expensive, laborious, and very insensitive,” he comments. Christmas concept, researcher at the University of Naples – however, our jet has proven to be extremely sensitive, versatile and capable of using very small volumes of samples. It certainly could represent an effective and innovative solution not only for the detection and monitoring of protein markers but also for food or environmental contaminants.”

The results of this work are based on a completely new technology. “Simply put, we use a localized electric field at the microscopic level to collect tiny droplets of bodily fluids to dramatically increase the level of signal emitted by molecules of interest,” he comments. Simonetta Grilli Who is collaborating on the project with other researchers from the CNR's Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems at the Pozzuoli headquarters.

“Research activities that, as in this case, start from the need to monitor the health of astronauts and immediately intervene with a very sensitive diagnosis – declares Scalia asked, head of ASI's Technology Transfer Office — could have significant impacts on Earth, leading to major advances in improving patient care, diagnostic accuracy and enabling new treatment methods. this Cross fertilization Ideas and technologies across seemingly disparate fields highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in driving innovation.