Parkinson's Disease Can Be Diagnosed And Treatment Monitored With New Blood Test

25 Apr 2007
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com:80/m...&nfid=rssfeeds

A media 'all in' will be held for the announcement of this research on Thursday, 26 April 2007 at 10:30am at the Howard Florey Institute, Gate 11, Royal Parade, Parkville, Australia.

Talent: Prof Malcolm Horne, Senior Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Howard Florey Institute

Mrs Anne Atkin, person living with Parkinson's disease

Mr Glenn Mahoney, CEO of Parkinson's Victoria

A simple test to diagnose Parkinson's disease (PD) before symptoms appear by measuring the levels of a protein in blood is being developed by researchers from the Howard Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne and The Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria.

While Florey researchers have also created a genetic test for PD (10% of PD cases are caused by genetic factors), this new test has a broader application by screening for many different types of PD and monitoring treatment, as well as measuring the effectiveness of drugs being developed to treat the disease.

Dr Qiao-Xin Li and colleagues from The University of Melbourne and The Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, along with Prof Malcolm Horne from the Howard Florey Institute, found people with PD had low levels of the brain-secreted protein 'alpha-synuclein' in their blood, while people without PD had high levels of the protein.

Prof Horne said the test they developed measured alpha-synuclein levels in blood.

"Currently there is no specific PD diagnostic test so doctors rely on their observations to make a diagnosis, which means some patients may not be prescribed the most suitable medication and around 15% of those diagnosed may actually be suffering from something else," Prof Horne said.

"Further studies are required to establish whether this test can distinguish between people who are responsive to treatment and those who are not," he said.

The researchers are now conducting a large-scale study to determine the effectiveness of the test, to discover whether it is applicable for all types of PD, and to find out if it can measure the rate of progression and severity of the disease.

"If the results of our large-scale study are encouraging, this test could be available for clinical use within the next two years," Prof Horne said.

"We are now refining the test to make it quicker and cheaper so it can be offered to all those who have or are at risk of developing PD.

"While the clinical outcomes for this test will be significant, it also opens up new avenues of PD research and drug development.

"Further research using this test will also help us better understand the many different forms of PD and work towards ways to prevent or delay the disease.

"The test will also ensure drug trial participants actually have PD so research outcomes will be statistically more valid, which paves the way for faster and more effective drug development.

"When drugs that modify disease progression are available, this test may also help in showing whether candidate drugs are having an effect on the disease by keeping alpha-synuclein levels close to normal," Prof Horne said.

PARKINSON'S DISEASE FACTS & FIGURES

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting 1% of the Australian population over the age of 65. Parkinson's is second only to dementia as the most common chronic neurological condition.

80,000 Australians have Parkinson's and 4,000 are diagnosed each year. 20,000 Victorians have Parkinson's, and over 1,000 are diagnosed each year, or nineteen each week.

The direct and indirect costs of Parkinson's to the state of Victoria are over one billion dollars per year. This will significantly increase in the next thirty years with the ageing of the population.

There is a misconception that this is an "old person's" disease. 20% of people with the disease are under 50 when diagnosed.

SPOKESPEOPLE

Professor Malcolm Horne - spokesperson for research

Professor Malcolm Horne is the Deputy Director (Research) of the Howard Florey Institute and leader of the Florey's Parkinson's disease research group. Professor Horne is also a neurologist at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne. Professor Horne's clinical interests are in movement disorders, especially Parkinson's disease. His research interests relate to factors underlying the control of movement and in particular the biological basis of underlying Parkinson's disease.

Mrs Anne Atkin - patient with Parkinson's disease

Mrs Anne Atkin is 56 years old, married and has boys aged 19 and 21. She was a primary teacher for 29 years and retired not long after she was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2005, as the duties became too fatiguing. Anne currently volunteers as the Parkinson's Victoria Librarian once a week and is an Ambassador for Parkinson's. She is very involved with the arts and its therapeutic application to Parkinson's. Anne's symptoms of Parkinson's started to develop when she was in her mid 40's. During this time she was misdiagnosed a number of times. She was told she had a "frozen shoulder", that she had "Fibromyalgia" and for six years received treatment under this diagnosis (cortisone injections, physiotherapy and hydrodilations). Anne's health continued to decline and she spent thousands of dollars on treatments that did not help. In 2005 Anne's symptoms became more advanced and she received the diagnosis of Parkinson's. She began Levodopa therapy and her frozen shoulder disappeared. As a person living with Parkinson's, Anne has had to change the way in which she lives and do things but she is still optimistic about the future.

Mr Glenn Mahoney - CEO of Parkinson's Victoria

Mr Glenn Mahoney is the CEO of Parkinson's Victoria. He has over 20 year's management experience in the disability sector, the last eight years in the neurological sector. Previous positions have been General Manager Services with the MS Society of Victoria and with Vision Australia Foundation.

###

The Florey is currently seeking funding to further develop this test so it can be available for clinical use.

This research was recently published in Experimental Neurology and was a collaborative project involving Qiao-Xin Li, Su San Mok, Katrina Laughton, Catriona McLean, Roberto Cappai, Colin Masters, Janetta Culvenor and Malcolm Horne.

HOWARD FLOREY INSTITUTE

The Howard Florey Institute is Australia's leading brain research centre and is located in Melbourne. Its scientists undertake clinical and applied research that can be developed into treatments to combat brain disorders, and new medical practices. Their discoveries will improve the lives of those directly, and indirectly, affected by brain and mind disorders in Australia, and around the world. The Florey's research areas cover a variety of brain and mind disorders including Parkinson's disease, stroke, motor neuron disease, addiction, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease and dementia.

Contact: Merrin Rafferty
Research Australia
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medi...p?newsid=68978

Scientists close to finding early diagnosis of Parkinson's

Kounteya Sinha
[28 Apr, 2007 l 0041 hrs ISTlTIMES NEWS NETWORK]
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/H...ow/1969157.cms

NEW DELHI: Scientists are close to developing the world's first test to diagnose Parkinson's disease even before the debilitating symptoms start to appear.

Researchers from Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne and the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Australia, have found that people with the degenerative neurological disease had significantly lower levels of a brain-secreted protein, Alpha-Synuclein, in their blood than healthy people.

This has led the team to believe that a simple blood test measuring the levels of the protein could accurately predict and diagnose Parkinson's.

The team, which published its findings in the journal ‘Experimental Neurology' and includes Dr Qiao-Xin Li from
University of Melbourne and the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria and Prof Malcolm Horne from the Howard Florey Institute, is now embarking on a large scale trial to check how accurate the findings are.

Over 300 people, half of them suffering from Parkinson's, are being enlisted to study the relationship between the stage and severity of disease and levels of Alpha-Synuclein.

If successful, the test will replace the present day wait-and-see approach most sufferers are subjected to. The team said: "We don't know the exact relationship but this protein is either an early casualty in the damage or its dysfunction is in some way responsible for the disease.

If the results of our large-scale study are encouraging, this test could be available for clinical use within two years. We are now refining the test to make it quicker and cheaper so it can be offered to all those who have or are at risk of developing Parkinson's".

Dr Alok Gupta, founder of the Parkinson's Foundation of India, says only clinical diagnosis is presently done to detect the disease. No diagnostic tests are presently available to correctly predict Parkinson's. "We rely on symptoms — muscle rigidity, tremor in limbs, slowing of physical movement and subtle language problems to show — before an MRI is done".

Several patients therefore aren't prescribed the most suitable medication and 15% of those diagnosed may actually be suffering from some other diseases that mimic Parkinson's.

Earlier thought to be a disease appearing mostly in people in their 60s, Parkinson's is now affecting more and more patients in their late 30s.

Doctors in India say till recently, less than 3% of Indians suffering from Parkinson's were in their 30s and 40s. The number has now easily crossed 10%.

Gupta says: "Over the last five years, lifestyle has emerged as one of the main causes for Parkinson's. In India, 360 people per lakh suffer from the disease, which has no known cause and no cure. Over 5% of those over 60 are afflicted. Jet-setting modern-day lifestyle, increased stress, improper diet and inadequate sleep are some of the main reasons along with genetic, environmental toxins and drug-induced factors that cause Parkinson's".

kounteya.sinha@timesgroup.com

New Parkinson's Disease diagnostic test

Medical Research News
Published: Sunday, 29-Apr-2007
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=24291

While Florey researchers have also created a genetic test for Parkinson's Disease (PD) [10% of PD cases are caused by genetic factors], this new test has a broader application by screening for many different types of PD and monitoring treatment, as well as measuring the effectiveness of drugs being developed to treat the disease.

Dr Qiao-Xin Li and colleagues from The University of Melbourne and The Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, along with Prof Malcolm Horne from the Howard Florey Institute, found people with PD had low levels of the brain-secreted protein- alpha-synuclein, in their blood, while people without PD had high levels of the protein.

Prof Horne said the test they developed measured alpha-synuclein levels in blood.

"Currently there is no specific PD diagnostic test so doctors rely on their observations to make a diagnosis, which means some patients may not be prescribed the most suitable medication and around 15% of those diagnosed may actually be suffering from something else," Prof Horne said.

"Further studies are required to establish whether this test can distinguish between people who are responsive to treatment and those who are not," he said.

The researchers are now conducting a large-scale study to determine the effectiveness of the test, to discover whether it is applicable for all types of PD, and to find out if it can measure the rate of progression and severity of the disease.

"If the results of our large-scale study are encouraging, this test could be available for clinical use within the next two years," Prof Horne said.

"We are now refining the test to make it quicker and cheaper so it can be offered to all those who have or are at risk of developing PD.

"While the clinical outcomes for this test will be significant, it also opens up new avenues of PD research and drug development.

"Further research using this test will also help us better understand the many different forms of PD and work towards ways to prevent or delay the disease.

"The test will also ensure drug trial participants actually have PD so research outcomes will be statistically more valid, which paves the way for faster and more effective drug development.

"When drugs that modify disease progression are available, this test may also help in showing whether candidate drugs are having an effect on the disease by keeping alpha-synuclein levels close to normal," Prof Horne said.

http://www.hfi.unimelb.edu.au/

The First Ever Blood Test To Detect Parkinson's Disease Could Be On The Horizon Following Research By Lancaster University Scientists

26 May 2007, United Kingdom
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medi...p?newsid=72140

Researchers at Lancaster have discovered that alpha-synuclein - a protein that accumulates in parts of the brain affected by Parkinson's disease - can also be detected in the blood. Furthermore, the levels of a particular form of this protein appear to be altered in blood samples from patients with the disease.

Professor David Allsop has now been granted £396,000 by the Medical Research Council to lead a team of researchers from Lancaster University, Manchester University and Royal Preston Hospital to continue to explore the possibility that this protein could act as a marker for Parkinson's disease.

The researchers will also carry out an extensive £860,000 drug trial funded by industrial collaborator Zyentia. Zyentia is developing new drugs aimed at preventing the degeneration and loss of brain nerve cells in Parkinson's disease. If successful, such drugs could slow or even stop the progression of the disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common, incurable brain disease, with characteristic symptoms including tremors of the hands, muscle rigidity and slowness of movement. There are around 120,000 sufferers in the UK - one in 500 people - but diagnosis can be difficult. Diagnosis is currently based on taking a detailed clinical history and looking for evidence of the key symptoms.

However, diagnostic errors are common because PD is one of several neurological movement disorders with similar symptoms and there is no existing diagnostic test that can confirm the clinical diagnosis of PD.

It is hoped alpha-synuclein will act as a reliable diagnostic marker, which could lead to the development of the first ever PD blood test enabling earlier and more accurate diagnosis. When coupled with earlier treatment, this would have the potential to transform the lives of those who suffer from this disease. By monitoring fluctuating levels of alpha-synuclein in the blood, doctors might also be able to follow the clinical progression of the disease.

The study has three strands. The first will involve taking blood samples from patients with various neurodegenerative conditions, including PD, and testing them for levels of alpha-synuclein. The second is a longitudinal study taking repeat blood samples over a prolonged period from a relatively small group of patients already diagnosed with PD. The third study is a drug trial involving around 200 patients with PD.

Professor David Allsop, of Lancaster University's Department of Biology, said: "Early diagnosis of PD should lead to more effective treatment. Current drugs for PD are targeted at the 'downstream' consequences of the degeneration of brain cells, rather than its prevention. However, many pharmaceutical companies, including our collaborators at Zyentia, are developing new drugs targeted at the degenerative process itself. The combination of early and accurate diagnosis with drugs aimed at the causes of the disease would revolutionise the way we treat Parkinson's. These new treatments could slow down or even halt the progress of the disease. In view of our ageing population, finding better ways of tackling this debilitating disease is a top priority."

Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council added "The combination of public funding from the Medical Research Council and support from the pharmaceutical industry highlights how public and private sectors can work together to develop better diagnostic tools and facilitate drug development. These types of collaborations ultimately benefit patients, who will see quicker applications of scientific discoveries."

Collaborators on the study are Professor David Allsop and Professor Peter Diggle, Lancaster University, Professor David Mann, Manchester University, Professor Douglas Mitchell, Royal Preston Hospital and Dr Jesus Zurdo at Zyentia .

alpha-synuclein

In PD, structures called 'Lewy bodies' are found inside nerve cells in affected regions of the brain. Lewy bodies contain abnormal fibres made out of a protein called alpha-synuclein and the formation of these alpha-synuclein deposits inside Lewy bodies is an important step in the development of PD. Lancaster University researchers discovered alpha-synuclein is also present in the human blood.

Diagnosis of PD

PD is one of several neurological movement disorders with similar symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no existing diagnostic test that can confirm the clinical diagnosis of PD. At present, laboratory tests of blood samples from these patients do not show any abnormalities. Also, routine brain scans (MRI and CAT scans) of people with PD usually appear to be normal. This is because the pathological changes responsible for PD are not revealed by these scans. Specialised brain imaging techniques (called PET scans) can reveal some abnormalities in PD, but these imaging methods are costly and currently inappropriate for routine clinical practice. With no specific diagnostic tests, doctors must base their diagnosis of PD on clinical judgement.

Medical Research Council

The Medical Research Council is dedicated to improving human health through excellent science. It invests on behalf of the UK taxpayer. Its work ranges from molecular level science to public health research, carried out in universities, hospitals and a network of its own units and institutes. The MRC liaises with the Health Departments, the National Health Service and industry to take account of the public's needs. The results have led to some of the most significant discoveries in medical science and benefited the health and wealth of millions of people in the UK and around the world. www.mrc.ac.uk

www.zyentia.com