Blood Serum Biomarkers for Differential Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease

• Published in: The FASEB journal 2006-03, Vol.20 (4), p.A64-A64
• Main Authors: Goldknopf, Ira L., Sheta, Essam, Bryson, Jennifer, Folsom, Brian, Wilson, Chris, Duty, Jeff, Yen, Albert, Appel, Stan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.A64-b

Definitive blood tests for Parkinson’s disease (PD) that discriminate the “like disorders” with similar symptoms are now unavailable and diagnosis is symptoms based. Blood tests may provide patients with earlier treatment options to prevent or delay irreparable damage. To discover protein biomarkers for such discrimination using minimally invasive tests, blood serum was subjected to 2D gel electrophoresis, fluorescent digital image analysis, and potential biomarker spots were subjected to LC MS/MS. A group of 34 serum protein biomarkers in samples from 254 individuals, including age matched normal controls, and patients with PD, Alzheimer’s disease, and their “like” disorders were found whereby single variable biostatistics analysis revealed that they individually possess capabilities useful in discrimination between these disease states. In particular, 13 of the 34 biomarkers were optimal for distinguishing PD from the others. While no single biomarker was sufficient in itself, the concentrations of groups of biomarkers in multivariate discriminant analysis provided sensitivity and specificity for differential diagnostic purposes. Furthermore, the biomarker identities, post‐synthetic modifications and patterns of differential expression, provide valuable clues about the differences between these diseases with potential therapeutic implications.