About BioFIND
BioFIND is an observational clinical study designed to discover and verify biomarkers of Parkinson's disease (PD). The study was carried out at eight academic sites in the United States. Recruitment began in 2012 and closed in March 2015. BioFIND collected clinical data and biospecimens, including blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), in well-defined, moderately advanced people with PD and control volunteers.
BioFIND followed standardized data acquisition protocols to ensure tests and assessments conducted at multiple sites could be pooled. Data and samples acquired from study participants have been placed in a comprehensive Parkinson's database and biorepository and are available to the scientific community for research on novel PD biomarkers. The study aims to complement the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative to produce the most comprehensive and long-ranging dataset available for biomarker discovery work throughout the PD community.
Only with collaborative efforts such as BioFIND can we efficiently discover and verify biomarker candidates for PD. This study is sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research with support from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Available Biospecimens and Data*
| Clinical Data | Whole Blood Pellet | Plasma | Saliva | Urine | DNA | RNA | CSF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkinson's Disease | 122 | 133 | 122 | 23 | 27 | 122 | 95 | 108 |
| Control | 101 | 93 | 101 | 27 | 28 | 101 | 77 | 85 |
*Numbers refer to submission from unique individuals. Typical submissions include: clinical data, 2 whole blood pellets, 12 ml plasma from whole blood, 8.5 ml whole blood for DNA extraction, 5-10 ml whole blood for RNA extraction, 10 ml cerebrospinal fluid.
Learn About Biospecimen Access
Accessing Clinical Data and Biospecimens
Clinical data and biospecimens from BioFIND are available for request. Clinical data from BioFIND is hosted by the study Bioanalytics Core, and applications for data access are reviewed in real time. Curated BioFIND data is available at neuroshare.michaeljfox.org. Learn more on our Accessing BioFIND Data page.
To request access to available BioFIND biosamples, apply to the centralized NINDS Parkinson's biospecimens program. Learn more on our Accessing BioFIND Biospecimens page.
Direct questions to resources@michaeljfox.org.
The following research studies have been approved for sample use.
Ongoing Research Utilizing BioFIND Specimens
The following research studies have accessed BioFIND samples. Researchers may apply to use biospecimens through NINDS .
| Project Title | Principal Investigator | Institution | Specimen Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRP40 Expression as a Biomarker of Parkinson's Disease | Ram Mishra, PhD | CRP40 Inc. | RNA |
| Verification of a long-noncoding RNA in blood as a biomarker for Parkinson's disease | Antony Cooper, PhD | Garvan Institute of Medical Research | RNA |
| Analysis of circulating brain-enriched microRNAs as biomarkers for Parkinson's disease | Samuil Umansky, MD, PhD | DiamiR, LLC | Plasma |
| Metabolomic analysis of Parkinsonian disorders | Peter LeWitt, MD | Henry Ford Hospital | CSF and Plasma |
| Comprehensive analysis of brain and peripheral biogenic small molecule levels in Parkinson's Disease | Omar Mabrouk, PhD | University of Michigan | Plasma |
| Lysosomal enzymes activity and GBA1 genotyping in CSF of Parkinson's Disease patients: A Confirmatory Study | Lucilla Parnetti, MD, PhD | University of Perugia | DNA and CSF |
| Parkinson's Disease Biomarker Search in Cerebrospinal Fluid by Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometry | Robert G. Cooks, PhD | Purdue University | CSF |
| New tools for direct visualization of individual oligomers in human biofluids | Nicholas William Wood, PhD, MB ChB, MRCP | University College London | CSF |
| BioFIND: Analysis of aSyn in CSF, plasma and saliva samples | Peggy Taylor, ScD | BioLegend, Inc | CSF, Plasma, and Saliva |
| BioFIND: Analysis of A-beta, tau and p-tau in CSF samples | Leslie M. Shaw, PhD | University of Pennsylvania | CSF |
| NeuroX Profiling of Samples from the PPMI Genetic Cohorts, the LRRK2 Cohort Consortium, and the BioFIND Cohort | Andrew B. Singleton, PhD | National Institute on Aging | DNA |
| Parkinson's Disease Biomarker Discovery and Verification Using Multiple Reaction Monitoring | Daniel Chelsky, PhD | Caprion Inc. | CSF |
| Immunogenetic determinants of disease risk in Parkinson's disease | Jorge R Oksenberg PhD | University of California, San Francisco | |
| Total and proteinase K-resistant a-Syn levels in blood pellets, determined by a novel phospholipid-ELISA assay, as potential markers of Parkinson’s disease | Ronit Sharon, PhD | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem | Whole Blood |
| Biomarkers of the Glucocerebrosidase Pathway in Parkinson Disease | Rachel Saunders-Pullman | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | CSF, Plasma |
| An 8-protein panel for diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease | Alice Chen-Plotkin MD | University of Pennsylvania | Plasma |
| Alpha-Galactosidase A and Glycosphingolipids as Biomarkers for Parkinson’s Disease | J. John Shacka PhD | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Tissue, CSF, Plasma, Urine |
| Development of a biochemical test to detect alpha-synuclein oligomers in cerebrospinal fluid of patients affected by Parkinson's disease | Claudio Soto PhD | University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | CSF |
| Development of potential diagnostic biomarkers in Parkinson's disease | Alison Green PhD | University of Edinburgh | CSF |
| MJFF GBA-PD Meta-Analysis Initiative: Charting a path to success for clinical trials in patients with GBA-PD | Clemens R. Scherzer | Brigham & Women's Hospital | Plasma, CSF, Whole Blood |
| Klotho and Parkinson's disease | Sanders, Laurie | Duke University | Plasma |
| Interplay between alpha-tubulin PTMs, alphasynuclein and cytokines in PD: an exploratory study in human plasma and CSF | Bianchi, Massimiliano | Transpharmation Ireland Ltd. | CSF, Plasma |
| Validation of saliva biomarkers for clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease | Carro, Eva | Hospital 12 de Octubre Research Institute | Saliva |