A novel oxygen sensor for brain function
A common feature of neurodegenerative disorders and ischaemic stroke is the apoptosis of neurons by yet unknown mechanisms. Overall, our understanding of the events that lead to neuronal injury after stroke is rather limited. Despite improvements in prevention and emergency treatments for stroke, current regimens are largely ineffective for addressing the cause of stroke. Similarly, available treatments for neurodegenerative disorders target only disease symptoms and not the underlying causes. There is a great need for improved diagnosis at earlier time points considering the disability of patients suffering from stroke or neurodegenerative disorders. To address this requirement, the EU-funded OXY-SENSE project proposed to develop a novel diagnostic oxygen sensor for evaluating mitochondrial function. Since oxygen is central in cellular bioenergetics, the concept behind this industry-academia alliance was to investigate its role in the pathogenesis of stroke and neurodegeneration. Partners tested a number of sensors in confocal cell imaging approaches for in vitro cultures and in vivo imaging. Targeted oxygen-sensitive probes, image analysis software and systems modelling were among the project deliverables. Most of the chemical compounds developed in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry fail to enter the clinical phase due to intrinsic toxicity. As a result, more integrated, effective test systems for drug toxicity analyses are required alongside new quality assurance guidelines. Project partners addressed the need of the pharmaceutical industry for toxicity screening. The OXY-SENSE technology provides a diagnostic analyses platform for assessing mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular bioenergetics and drug toxicity. Implementation of this tool could bring new insight into the causes of neurodegenerative disorders and stroke with potential therapeutic implications.
Keywords
Oxygen sensor, cellular bioenergetics, neurodegenerative, ischaemic stroke, confocal cell imaging, toxicity screening
