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Molecular Biometrics Announces Results of Parkinson's Disease Research and Receipt of Grant From Michael J. Fox Foundation to Advance Diagnostic Technology

Tuesday August 5, 10:44 am ET

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080805/netu081.html?.v=60

New research demonstrates proof-of-concept for diagnosing Parkinson's disease using non-invasive, biospectroscopy technology

Michael J. Fox Foundation awards grant to Molecular Biometrics for further development of Parkinson's diagnostic CHESTER, N.J. and MONTREAL, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- A study published in the June issue of the peer-reviewed journal, Biomarkers in Medicine, demonstrated proof-of-concept for the use of a minimally-invasive technology being developed by Molecular Biometrics, LLC, to diagnose Parkinson's disease (PD). In the study, researchers used spectroscopy to develop a metabolic profile (or chemical signatures) of biological markers for PD. There is currently no definitive laboratory diagnostic for Parkinson's disease.

The company also announced receipt of an award from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research supporting further development of its technology platform to validate its PD diagnostic methodology.

"The lack of an objective biomarker to aid diagnosis and therapeutics development is one of the single greatest challenges facing the Parkinson's research field," said Katie Hood, CEO of The Michael J. Fox Foundation. "We are enthusiastic about helping to keep Molecular Biometrics' novel metabolomic diagnostic technology moving forward toward validation and clinical testing."

Researchers at Molecular Biometrics, Lady Davis Institute (LDI), Sir Mortimer B. Davis - Jewish General Hospital and McGill University have shown that, using biospectroscopy methods to create a specific biomarker profile, they can distinguish idiopathic Parkinson's disease from normal aging and other neurodegenerative conditions. Diagnosis of PD is currently based solely on a patient's medical history and neurological examination, making Parkinson's difficult to diagnose, particularly during early stages of the disease.

"We created a biomarker profile, using biospectroscopy techniques, to delineate a chemical signature in blood that identifies patients with Parkinson's disease," said Hyman M. Schipper, MD, PhD, FRCPC, lead author of the study and member of the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Department of Medicine, McGill University, and member of the Attending Staff in Neurology at Sir Mortimer B. Davis - Jewish General Hospital, in Montreal, Canada. "This proof-of-concept gives us great hope that biospectroscopy will offer a new approach to the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders." Dr Schipper is a noted expert in brain aging and neurodegeneration, and a Founding Scientist and Medical Director (Neurosciences) at Molecular Biometrics.

In the study, fifty-two patients, 20 with mild or moderate stages of Parkinson's disease and 32 age-matched control subjects were recruited at the Jewish General Hospital. Whole blood samples were analyzed using near- infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy (RS) methods which have previously been used to create metabolomic profiles (chemical signatures) of human biofluids, including serum and whole blood.

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