New method to easily identify cause of rare diseases

Mar 23 2012

Sanford Health Children's Research Center researcher, Kyle Roux, PhD, has revealed a new method of research that will allow the cause of disease—particularly rare diseases—to become more easily identified.

Called BioID, this method identifies the proximity and interactions between proteins in living cells providing insight into the underlying mechanisms of disease. Ultimately, this method could lead to the development of more targeted therapeutic or novel treatments for patients.

"Roux's discovery gets us even one step closer to developing treatments and cures for rare diseases," says Gene Hoyme, MD, president of Sanford Research. "BioID is a method that can be quickly shared, accelerating research not just at Sanford, but globally for all scientists committed to finding cures."

Through Roux's developments, BioID is accessible to a broad range of researchers and does not require specialized equipment. Individual groups that focus on specific disease-associated proteins or pathways can apply this method to their particular projects and overcome long-standing roadblocks to their research.

"Essentially, BioID provides a new versatile tool for researchers seeking to characterize how proteins participate in functional networks necessary for life," says Roux, PhD, associate scientist, Sanford Children's Research Center.

Roux's lab at the Children's Research Center studies envelopathies, which are defects in the nuclear envelope associated with a myriad of diverse diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, cardiomyopathy, lipodystrophy, dystonia, neuropathy, skeletal defects, and progeria.