A fresh tool from Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine makes protein sleuthing in ancient soft tissues a reality. Alexandra Morton-Hayward and her team devised a workflow that teases proteins out of 200-year-old brain samples. This breakthrough promises a new window into past lives by tapping molecular details that bones alone can’t reveal.
The researchers tested ten extraction strategies on samples from a Victorian workhouse burial site. They discovered that urea, a simple compound found in urine, excels at bursting open cell membranes and freeing trapped proteins.
After extraction, they used liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to sort and identify the molecules. Adding high-field asymmetric-waveform ion mobility spectrometry boosted protein detection by up to 40 percent.
Their optimized process recovered over 1,200 distinct proteins from just 2.5 milligrams of tissue. That makes it the richest, most varied paleoproteome ever obtained from archaeological remains.
Proteins such as enzymes, structural scaffolds, and signaling factors survived intact. Unlike DNA, proteins can endure far longer in the archaeological record. They carry clues about diet, environment, and health that genetic data alone can’t provide.
Morton-Hayward offers a playful analogy: “It all comes down to separation. By adding extra steps, you’re more likely to confidently identify molecules of interest. It’s a bit like dumping out a bucket of Lego. If you sort by color, then shape, then size, you have a better chance of making something meaningful.”
Using this approach, the team pinpointed biomarkers linked to neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis in those centuries-old brains. These proteins leave no trace on bones and have eluded previous analyses.
Senior author Roman Fischer explains that the method transforms our view of ancient health by revealing pathologies beyond the skeleton. Now researchers can trace how diseases evolved over time.
This innovation isn’t limited to Victorian workhouses. It could apply to mummies, peat-bog bodies, or even hair and skin samples. Dr. Christiana Scheib of Cambridge praises the work as crucial for paleoproteomics.
Unlocking this protein vault will let scientists map ancient diets, diseases, and evolutionary relationships in unprecedented detail.
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