The Ultra-Sensitive Protein Detection Unit (USPDU) focuses on the development of new techniques that allow the specific detection of proteins in the zeptomole range (10^-21 mole) and their application for neurodegenerative diseases. This means to specifically detect a few thousand molecules of a single protein present in a complex mixture. To reach this goal, our team is developing a novel strategy using newly developed fluorescent dyes in combination with multi-step enzyme reactions to activate those dyes. This also requires the adaptation and optimization of enzymes for these assays. 

Our group is working in the following areas: peptide synthesis, fluorescence labeling including time-resolved fluorescence and FRET, 1D- and 2D-gels, mass spectrometry (Orbitrap with ETD, MALDI-TOF, ESI), HPLC, recombinant protein expression and purification, protein modifications, side-specific coupling of agents to proteins and peptides.
The application of these methods are mainly aimed at neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer´s disease and Huntington´s disease amongst others.
More information about our research can be found on the page News.