DNA nanodevices could change how we spot brain diseases
Scientists at the University of Chicago, led by Yamuna Krishnan, have built tiny DNA devices that can check what's happening inside lysosomes—the "recycling centers" of our cells that are tied to neurodegenerative diseases.
These nanodevices let researchers see important ion levels in real time.
How does this help?
With a new tool called 2-IM, the team found that healthy cells have two types of lysosomes, but patient-derived cells from people with Niemann-Pick disease lacked one of those lysosome populations.
In treated patient-derived cells, the missing lysosome population re-emerged.
This kind of insight could help doctors detect these diseases earlier—and might inform development of less invasive diagnostic tests.
Taking it beyond the lab
To turn this discovery into real-world solutions, Krishnan started Esya Labs.
Backed by big names like the Michael J. Fox and Gates Foundations, they're working on clinical tools that could enable earlier detection of organelle problems.