Longitudinal Imaging and Analysis of Neurons Expressing Polyglutamine-Expanded Proteins
互联网
371
Misfolded proteins have been implicated in most of the major neurodegenerative diseases, and identifying drugs and pathways
that protect neurons from the toxicity of misfolded proteins is of paramount importance. We invented a form of automated imaging
and analysis called robotic microscopy that is well suited to the study of neurodegeneration. It enables the monitoring of
large cohorts of individual neurons over their lifetimes as they undergo neurodegeneration. With automated analysis, multiple
endpoints in neurons can be measured, including survival. Statistical approaches, typically reserved for engineering and clinical
medicine, can be applied to these data in an unbiased fashion to discover whether factors contribute positively or negatively
to neuronal fate and to quantify the importance of their contribution. Ultimately, multivariate dynamic models can be constructed
from these data, which can provide a systems-level understanding of the neurodegenerative disease process and guide the rationale
for the development of therapies.
