Alpha-synuclein seed amplification assays: Data sharing, standardization needed for clinical use

Hilal A Lashuel; D James Surmeier; Tanya Simuni; Kalpana Merchant; Byron Caughey; Claudio Soto; Mohamed-Bilal Fares; Roland G Heym; Ronald Melki

doi:10.1126/sciadv.adt7195

Alpha-synuclein seed amplification assays: Data sharing, standardization needed for clinical use

Sci Adv. 2025 Apr 4;11(14):eadt7195. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adt7195. Epub 2025 Apr 2.

Authors

Hilal A Lashuel^{1

2

3}, D James Surmeier⁴, Tanya Simuni⁵, Kalpana Merchant⁵, Byron Caughey⁶, Claudio Soto⁷, Mohamed-Bilal Fares², Roland G Heym⁸, Ronald Melki⁹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
² ND BioSciences, Epalinges, Switzerland.
³ Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar.
⁴ Deputy Editor, Science Advances, Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
⁶ Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity (LNII), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA.
⁷ Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁸ AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
⁹ Institute Francois Jacob (MIRCen), CEA, and Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, CNRS, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France.

Abstract

Alpha-synuclein seed amplification assays can improve neurodegenerative disease diagnosis and care, but widespread use depends on a framework that standardizes protocols and encourages data sharing.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Information Dissemination*
Neurodegenerative Diseases* / diagnosis
Neurodegenerative Diseases* / genetics
Neurodegenerative Diseases* / metabolism
Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques* / methods
Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques* / standards
alpha-Synuclein* / genetics
alpha-Synuclein* / metabolism

Substances

alpha-Synuclein