Overview

• Researchers from Cambridge, UCL, the Francis Crick Institute and Polytechnique Montréal report the advance in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
• Using ASA–PD, the team detected and analyzed more than 1.2 million alpha‑synuclein aggregates with single‑molecule sensitivity.
• Oligomers were present in both control and Parkinson’s samples but were larger, brighter and more numerous in Parkinson’s tissue.
• A distinct subclass of oligomers appeared only in Parkinson’s cases, indicating a potential disease‑specific signature.
• The study used donated post‑mortem brain tissue and was funded by ASAP, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the UK MRC, with authors noting future diagnostic or therapeutic applications require further validation.