Biomarker discovery

While there are biomarkers for alpha-synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease to confirm diagnosis, there is a crucial need for more-accessible biomarkers to predict disease before symptoms appear. Such biomarkers could identify patients who could benefit from early therapeutic interventions.

Dementia with Lewy bodies can be misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. This can lead to detrimental outcomes for patients. The Neurobiology of Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders Lab is working to develop early biomarkers that will be accessible to patients wherever they seek care. Ideally, a test that uses blood or saliva would make testing a reality for patients with a family history of disease or who are considered at risk of developing a synucleinopathy.

Researchers in the lab are funded by the American Brain Foundation, the American Academy of Neurology and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to investigate if extracellular vesicles carrying a marker of disease can be detected in blood and used as an early biomarker to distinguish dementia with Lewy bodies from Alzheimer's disease.