Funded Studies
This grant builds upon the research from a prior grant: Studies on the effects of peripheral inflammation on the progression of Parkinson ´s disease
Promising Outcomes of Original Grant:
With the original funded grant we have successfully optimized the measurement of total alpha-synuclein and DJ-1 in cerebrospinal fluid as promising markers for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). We thereby converted enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assays onto a highly sensitive electrochemiluminescence based platform. This platform enables the simultaneous analysis of several different markers (called multiplexing) - all from a single sample specimen (rather than multiple individual ones tested in parallel) – and thereby substantially reduces time, sample volume and effort.
Objectives for Supplemental Investigation:
The supplemental investigations aim to pursue the development of a further advanced multiplex assay for PD by converting existing and newly established assays for total tau protein, oligomeric alpha-synuclein and other proteins of interest (e.g. heart fatty acid binding protein or phosphorylated tau protein-depending on the outcome of other studies) onto the platform and add those onto the multiplex platform. The newly established multiplex assay will be validated and the range values of neurodegenerative and neurologically healthy control subjects for the marker combination will be measured within the project
Importance of This Research for the Development of a New PD Therapy:
The goal of our study is to improve the measurement of a combination of laboratory markers for the better and early diagnosis and to possibly objectively measure progression of disease of Parkinson’s disease. New PD therapy relies on the accurate diagnosis at the earliest stage as possible and on objective marker(s) for progression of the disease. The project aims to facilitate and support clinical trials for new PD therapy.