Parkinson’s disease is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders and a disease with a significant unmet medical need. World-wide, more than 4.6 million individuals over the age of 50 suffer from Parkinson’s disease and it is estimated that the number will more than double by 2030. Today, there are no reliable biochemical biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease and the disease is often difficult to diagnose. The differential diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is based on clinical features and the golden standard still remains neuropathological confirmation. Misclassification, especially in early Parkinson’s disease, occurs frequently. High sensitivity and specificity can only be obtained at specialized centers, and after several years of follow-up. To be able to modify or halt the disease progression it is beneficial to initiate a disease modifying treatment at an earlier stage than what is possible today. The clinical validation of a sensitive and specific biomarker that also could mirror the treatment effect would make an enormous advantage and need to be developed in parallel with the development of new disease modifying therapeutics.
In this project we have:
• Acquired Human CSF from patients with Parkinson’s disease and healthy controls
• Conducted Biochemical biomarker assay development for Parkinson’s disease
• Conducted a pilot study on clinical cohorts including patients with Parkinson’s disease and healthy controls
• Evaluated the business opportunities and further development path for Parkinson’s disease biomarkers
