This grant builds upon the research from a prior grant: Isolating Olfactory Biomarkers of Early Parkinson’s Disease
Study Rationale: Researchers in the UK discovered biochemical molecules that are specifically present in the sebum, the oily substance produced by the skin, of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and lead to a specific skin odor. The research started with the observation that an individual with very sensitive sense of smell, Joy Milne, could recognize individuals with PD by smelling their T-shirts. According to Mrs. Milne, individuals with PD have a unique musky odor that she first experienced in her husband starting six years before he developed PD. This raises the question on whether this “biochemical fingerprint” in the sebum of PD patients could already be present during the prodromal phase, i.e., in the years prior to development of the typical motor symptoms and diagnosis of PD.
Hypothesis: This study aims to investigate whether the same biochemical molecules are present in and evaporating from the sebum of individuals who are going to develop PD and in which way their “sebum fingerprint” differs from the one in PD patients and healthy individuals.
Study Design: About 500 men and women already provided sebum samples by rubbing their upper back with gauzes and q-tips so far. These individuals are part of larger ongoing cohort studies at Harvard, called the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. In these studies, about 20,000 individuals were screened for signs that commonly occur in combination in individuals who may be in a prodromal PD phase, such as constipation, a decreased sense of smell, and a sleep disorder, in which a person physically acts out their dreams during sleep. We will compare the biochemical sebum compounds in these individuals to those in individuals with PD and healthy individuals.
Impact on Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s disease: If, in this study, we discover that the biochemical sebum fingerprint discovered in PD patients is already detectable among individuals who do not yet have but will develop PD, this could positively impact how and how early we can diagnose and ultimately treat PD.
Next Steps for Development: The next step would be to investigate whether the specific biochemical compounds and skin odor can predict whether and when an individual will develop PD.