Role of Fluorescent Secondary Antibodies in Neurodegenerative Disease Research

Did you know that around 50 million people were living with a neurological condition in 2019? This number is expected to rise to 152 million by 2050. Neurological diseases are the second most common cause of death worldwide.

Neurodegenerative diseases are a group of disorders in which neurons in the brain or spinal cord gradually deteriorate, stop functioning properly, and eventually die. Since neurons cannot regenerate easily, their loss leads to progressive and irreversible problems with memory, movement, behavior, and other essential functions.

The most common fatal neurodegenerative diseases include:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Parkinson's disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

While neurodegenerative diseases are life-threatening, we have no disease-modifying therapies. That is why it is crucial for the scientists and researchers to understand the disease mechanism and develop targeted therapies ASAP. Here is where the fluorescence secondary antibody comes into play.

What Are Fluorescent Secondary Antibodies?

Fluorescent secondary antibodies are immunoglobulins designed to bind specifically to the Fc region of primary antibodies. They are conjugated with fluorescent dyes such as:

• Alexa Fluor dyes
• DyLight dyes
• FITC (Fluorescein isothiocyanate)
• TRITC (Tetramethylrhodamine)

These fluorophores emit light when excited by specific wavelengths. The scientist can measure the signal via imaging platforms like fluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy, or flow cytometry. The signal is proportional to the amount of biomarkers associated with the disease in the blood sample.

How Fluorescent Secondary Antibodies Aid in Neurodegenerative Disease Research?

Detect Disease Biomarkers with High Sensitivity

Neurodegenerative diseases damage the nervous system. They mainly affect the brain, spinal cord, and neurons. The neurons lose their structure, stop working, or die. As a result, abnormal proteins start to build up in the brain.

For instance:

• Alzheimer's, Amyloid-β plaques & tau tangles accumulate in the brain
• Parkinson's, α-synuclein (Lewy bodies) forms clumps
• ALS, TDP-43 misfolds and forms toxic inclusions
• CJD, Prion protein clusters form

Scientists and researchers use fluorescent secondary antibodies to detect the presence of these proteins in a biological sample. These antibodies primarily bind to the Fc region of the primary antibody. Since they are conjugated with fluorescent dyes, they produce a bright light, even if the amount of protein is very low. So, secondary antibodies can detect various disease biomarkers and help identify the type of neurodegenerative disorder.

Visualize Changes Inside Brain Cells and Tissues

When a fluorescent conjugated secondary antibody is added to the sample, it stains the damaged or affected cells and tissues. The scientists and researchers can view the stained tissues under a fluorescence microscope. This helps them:

• Observe the location of disease proteins
• Understand how they spread across different regions
• Check whether they form clusters, tangles or deposits
• See how neurons and glial cells respond

Based on analysis, scientists compare healthy and diseased tissues and cells and understand disease progression. They learn how structural changes are related to memory loss and other symptoms.

Study Several Biomarkers via Multiplex Imaging

Our body releases many proteins during neurodegenerative diseases. A single biomarker can be the same in multiple diseases. So, scientists use fluorescent secondary antibodies to detect several biomarkers at the same time using multiplex imaging.

Different fluorescent dyes glow in different colors, which helps scientists to study:

• Interactions between proteins
• Changes in multiple cell types
• Overlapping pathways that cause damage

This helps scientists to understand neurodegenerative diseases better and develop new and effective targeted therapies.

The Bottom Line

Neurodegenerative diseases can be life-threatening and affect the lives of not only the patient but their families as well. So, scientists need to understand the disease mechanism and develop advanced treatment options that can make the lives of the patients easier.

Fluorescent secondary antibodies help scientists to visualize the biomarkers and understand how they affect our bodies. The results can then be used to develop new treatments. However, buying the secondary antibodies from a reliable source like AAABio is recommended as the overall results depend on the quality, specificity, and sensitivity of the antibodies used.