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26 November 2018
In the publication for Molecular Neurobiology Taina Marques discovered Galectin-1 as a novel biomarker for Parkinsonism. She then validated this in a unique clinical study, the so-called PLOMP study, and demonstrated that patients with either Parkinsons’disease or Atypical Parkinsonisms share decreased levels of Galectin-1 in their cerebrospinal fluid. This is based on a group of patients with clear signs of parkinsonism, but whose specific diagnosis was uncertain at the time of the collection of body materials. These patients were followed for a maximum of 12 years.
The PLOMP study is representative of the daily situation when doctors are confronted with a patient with an uncertain diagnosis. In those situations, biomarkers are needed most for an accurate diagnosis.
To make this happen, they used Simoa, an instrument that helps measuring protein biomarkers at very low concentrations. With this technique the researchers were able to demonstrate increased levels of this protein in the serum of patients with Parkinsons’disease only and that this test could discriminate patients with Parkinson’s Disease from patients with Atypical Parkinsonism. This biomarker was also validated in the PLOMP study.
In two recent studies two different proteins are described that serve as a so-called biomarker (signal molecule) of Parkinsonism. These studies, performed by Marques and Van Rumund in the group of Marcel Verbeek, will be published in the journals Molecular Neurobiology and Neurology.
In the publication for Molecular Neurobiology Taina Marques discovered Galectin-1 as a novel biomarker for Parkinsonism. She then validated this in a unique clinical study, the so-called PLOMP study, and demonstrated that patients with either Parkinsons’disease or Atypical Parkinsonisms share decreased levels of Galectin-1 in their cerebrospinal fluid. This is based on a group of patients with clear signs of parkinsonism, but whose specific diagnosis was uncertain at the time of the collection of body materials. These patients were followed for a maximum of 12 years.
The PLOMP study is representative of the daily situation when doctors are confronted with a patient with an uncertain diagnosis. In those situations, biomarkers are needed most for an accurate diagnosis.
Neurology
In the second study, accepted for publication in the prestigious high-impact journal Neurology, Marques and Anouke van Rumund demonstrated the high diagnostic value of neurofilament light chain protein (NFL) levels.To make this happen, they used Simoa, an instrument that helps measuring protein biomarkers at very low concentrations. With this technique the researchers were able to demonstrate increased levels of this protein in the serum of patients with Parkinsons’disease only and that this test could discriminate patients with Parkinson’s Disease from patients with Atypical Parkinsonism. This biomarker was also validated in the PLOMP study.
