Anything is measurable
At the seminar "Du är vad jag mäter - hjärnans kemi i ett provrör", Jonas Bergquist, professor of analytical chemistry and neurochemistry, will dig deep into the research of analyzing markers in body fluids.
In his research he has been trying to better understand the biological chemistry of mainly neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
“But many of our methods are applicable to other areas as well,” he says.
Finding prognostic markers
His approach is usually directed towards clinical research and diagnostics, looking mainly at cerebrospinal fluid and tissues. Working with complex body fluids, he tries to find prognostic markers by developing new analytical tools. The methods, however, can be used for other fluids as well, such as blood, serum, urine or saliva .
“In a typical sample we can look at ten markers to as many as 40 in one test and now this technique is finding its way to the market,” he says.
An analytical method needs to be cheap and possible to use for routine analyses to really reach the market, according to Bergquist.
Early adopters
Some areas, where early diagnosis makes a big difference economically, are more susceptible, however. Certain types of cancers and Parkinson’s disease are examples of diseases where there might be a cure to find or where the success of relieving symptoms is dependent on a quick diagnosis.
“The sensitivity of the tests will get better and better, but there has been an intrinsic conservatism in the field of clinical-chemical analyses. As they now start showing interest, there is much more to find out and I don’t think we will have reached the limit in ten years,” Bergquist says.
