Time-resolved fluorescence assay for the detection of multimeric forms of A-beta 1-40

A method for identifying modulators of polypeptide aggregation comprising:

• i) providing a substrate attached to a first binding partner, wherein the first binding partner binds with a second binding partner;
• ii) providing a polypeptide composition comprising polypeptide monomers, wherein at least some of the monomers are modified to comprise the second binding partner;
• iii) incubating the polypeptide composition in the presence and absence of a test agent, under conditions in which the polypeptide monomers aggregate into multimers
• iv) contacting the polypeptide composition to the substrate attached to the first binding partner;
• and
• v) measuring polypeptide aggregation by detecting polypeptide aggregates bound to the substrate, wherein the detecting comprises measuring the second binding partner, and wherein differential polypeptide aggregation in the presence versus the absence of a test agent identifies the test agent as a modulator compound.