In 2001, Gal Bitan, Aleksey Lomakin, and David B. Teplow applied PICUP to study amyloid β-protein (Aβ) oligomerization, which is observed in Alzheimer's disease. PICUP allowed for identifying and quantifying the Aβ oligomers that are metastable because of its ability to rapidly cross-link. Coupling PICUP with sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), the distribution of oligomers in rapid equilibrium was quantified. This application allowed for the study of amyloidogenic proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases and opened doors for possible future therapeutic mechanisms. Neurodegenerative diseases are currently suggested to be the result of neurotoxic proteins, so the ability to study their oligomer distribution is effective in understanding how and under what conditions these oligomers are formed.