Study Rationale: There is currently no disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) or Lewy body dementia (LBD). One possible reason is that both of these disorders are highly heterogeneous, with affected individuals displaying a range of symptoms and an array of molecular alterations.
Hypothesis: We hypothesize that we can define subtypes for each disorder based on its underlying molecular pathology, findings that will facilitate development of disease-modifying treatments.
Study Design: We will analyze more than 2000 proteins from samples of cerebrospinal fluid. We will then use these protein profiles to discover disease subtypes.
Impact on Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease: Identifying subtypes of PD and LBD might suggest that different individuals could require personalized treatment rather than offering a single, universal treatment for each disorder. Understanding this variability will enhance the efficacy of any disease-modifying treatments that are developed.
Next Steps for Development: If we discover subtypes, we would propose this type of categorization be carried out on all samples collected in previous, ongoing or future treatment studies.
Trial Phase: NA