1. Novel Herbal Compound Offers
Potential to Prevent and Treat
Alzheimer's Disease
AND
Novel Test Streamlines
Testing for Huntington Disease
Andrés D. Monsalve Naranjo
Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

4. Introduction
Molecular Biology
Molecular Biology
Techniques
Techniques
PCR
PCR ELISA
ELISA RIA & IF
RIA & IF
• Molecular Biology Techniques have become one of the most
important “tools” that a physician has to diagnose.
• They make better and easier the decision of starting a
treatment for the pathology found.
• These techniques are also the responsibles of the last
advances of Medicine itself because of their use on
investigation

5. Novel Herbal Compound Offers Potential
to Prevent and Treat Alzheimer's Disease
• It’s been demonstraded on a mouse model that
the administration of TSG has reversed
overexpresion of α-synuclein and its acumulation.
 α-synuclein is one of the causes of Alzheimer’s
disease

6. Novel Herbal Compound Offers Potential
to Prevent and Treat Alzheimer's Disease
 Accumulation of α-synuclein generates
insoluble compound that is associate to
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
 This accumulation increases with age.
 This research could be the discovery of a
novel treatment for the mentioned
diseases

7. Novel Herbal Compound Offers Potential
to Prevent and Treat Alzheimer's Disease
 Use of AD: APPV717I transgenic (Tg) mice with the London mutation
 Use of micro arrays, PCR, western blotting and inmunochemistry
4 month old
4 month old
Tg
Tg
Low dose TSG (120
Low dose TSG (120 high dose TSG
high dose TSG
distilled water
distilled water µmol/kg/d)
µmol/kg/d) (240 µmol/kg/d)
(240 µmol/kg/d)

8. Novel Herbal Compound Offers Potential
to Prevent and Treat Alzheimer's Disease
 TSG-treated groups showed that
TSG-treatment downregulated α-
synuclein mRNA and protein
overexpression of the Tg mice.
 The effect was stronger at the
higher dose. This suggests that
TSG may have a role in
preventing the neurotoxic effects
• It has therapeutic potential even
after neuropathologic changes
have occurred.

9. Personal Opinion
IIfound very interesting this news
found very interesting this news
because it makes me think about how
because it makes me think about how
many things are in the universe that we
many things are in the universe that we
do not know and can help us fight all
do not know and can help us fight all
kind of pathologies. In this case is all
kind of pathologies. In this case is all
about Alzheimer’s Disease and the
about Alzheimer’s Disease and the
results that come with it are very
results that come with it are very
promising. Let’s hope it can really work
promising. Let’s hope it can really work
in humans. So what’s Next? The cure for
in humans. So what’s Next? The cure for
Cancer? AIDS?
Cancer? AIDS?

10. Novel Test Streamlines Testing for
Huntington Disease
 It has been discovered a new test to detect
Huntington’s Disease (HD).
 It uses a triplet repeat primed PCR (TP PCR)
methodology.

11. Novel Test Streamlines Testing for
Huntington Disease
246 samples that had been diagnosed with other
246 samples that had been diagnosed with other
methods
methods
Tested them with TP
Tested them with TP
PCR
PCR

12. Novel Test Streamlines Testing for
Huntington Disease
TP PCR correctly sized 240 of the 246
TP PCR correctly sized 240 of the 246
samples
samples

13. Novel Test Streamlines Testing for
Huntington Disease
TP PCR uses a forward and reverse
TP PCR uses a forward and reverse
chimeric primer to amplify from multiple
chimeric primer to amplify from multiple
priming sites within the trinucleotide
priming sites within the trinucleotide
repeat.
repeat.
TP PCR produces a characteristic ladder on
TP PCR produces a characteristic ladder on
a fluorescence electropherogram that allows
a fluorescence electropherogram that allows
the rapid and inexpensive identification and
the rapid and inexpensive identification and
quantification of expanded repeats.
quantification of expanded repeats.

14. Personal Opinion
II loved this article because it shows how
 loved this article because it shows how
medicine keeps improving everyday.
medicine keeps improving everyday.
Huntington’s disease is a deathly illness but
Huntington’s disease is a deathly illness but
the sooner you make the diagnostic the
the sooner you make the diagnostic the
sooner you can start treatment and delay the
sooner you can start treatment and delay the
symptoms the most.
symptoms the most.

15. Medical Utility: First news
• For physicians is really useful this
discovering because Alzheimer’s Disease is
a very common pathology in Colombia.

16. Medical Utility: First news
Even Though Alzheimer’s Disease is treatable it isn’t curable so
Even Though Alzheimer’s Disease is treatable it isn’t curable so
this new alternative if only we could develop and try it on
this new alternative if only we could develop and try it on
humans as treatment/cure of the illness we’d be in front of one
humans as treatment/cure of the illness we’d be in front of one
of the greatest advances of medicine ever.
of the greatest advances of medicine ever.

17. Medical Utility: Second news
It is not only a helpful molecular biology
It is not only a helpful molecular biology
technique diagnostic but also it enhance a
technique diagnostic but also it enhance a
process that was already set up
process that was already set up

18. Medical Utility: Second News
This new technique can be done faster,
This new technique can be done faster,
safer, cheaper and even more specific
safer, cheaper and even more specific
because it can detect very precise things
because it can detect very precise things
that couldn’t have found before.
that couldn’t have found before.

19. Bibliography
• Martínez S. Lina María. Biología Molecular , 5 ed.
Medellín, UPB, Facultad de Medicina.
• Novel Herbal Compound Offers Potential to
Prevent and Treat Alzheimer's Disease, Science
Daily, February 15 2013,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/1302
• Novel Test Streamlines Testing for Huntington
Disease, Science Daily, February 13 2013,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/
130213082445.htm