Neurodegenerative diseases are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by gradual progressive neuronal loss in the central nervous system. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of many of these diseases remains unknown. Currently, there is a lack of diagnostic tools available to predict, diagnose or mitigate disease risk or progression, leading to a challenging dilemma within the healthcare management system. The search for reliable biomarkers that reflects underlying pathology is a high priority in research.
In 2019 the Biomarkers in Neurodegenerative Diseases Course provided delegates with an overview of the fluid biomarker field. There are now core fluid biomarkers of neurodegenerative pathology (amyloid, tau, a-synuclein, TDP-43), a biomarker of disease intensity (NfL), astroglial activation (YKL-40), synaptic function (neurogranin, VLP-1) and a range of novel analytical platforms such as Simoa and MSp. Novel proteomic techniques, such as Olink Proteomics, with high sensitivity and multiplexing ability, may become an important tool in biomarker discovery that can complement genomic analysis and provide important clues to the pathophysiology of many neurodegenerative disorders. Regulatory circular RNAs, micro RNAs and non-coding RNAs could be diagnostic biomarkers of neurodegenerative disorders. These may serve as characteristic fingerprints of disease state and could potentially reveal therapeutic targets. Future challenges include refining pre-analytical and analytical standardization, measuring other aspects of neurodegenerative pathophysiology and developing less-invasive fluid biomarkers that can also be used for screening and tracking purposes. Developments in exosomal preparations from body fluids for more precise biomarker measures of neurodegeneration are rapidly being developed. Real time (RT) Quic assays are being adapted for the identification of pathological protein aggregating species in body fluids to aid diagnosis of several neurodegenerative disorders.
We hopefully move towards an era of disease-modifying treatments, thus, reliable fluid biomarkers will be essential to increase diagnostic accuracy, allow for earlier diagnosis, better participant selection and disease activity and treatment effect monitoring.
This Research Topic welcome submissions of the following article types: original research, review, mini-reviews, systematic reviews, research protocol, opinion and hypothesis. We particularly welcome contributions that include, but are not limited to, the above mentioned topics.
Neurodegenerative diseases are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by gradual progressive neuronal loss in the central nervous system. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of many of these diseases remains unknown. Currently, there is a lack of diagnostic tools available to predict, diagnose or mitigate disease risk or progression, leading to a challenging dilemma within the healthcare management system. The search for reliable biomarkers that reflects underlying pathology is a high priority in research.
In 2019 the Biomarkers in Neurodegenerative Diseases Course provided delegates with an overview of the fluid biomarker field. There are now core fluid biomarkers of neurodegenerative pathology (amyloid, tau, a-synuclein, TDP-43), a biomarker of disease intensity (NfL), astroglial activation (YKL-40), synaptic function (neurogranin, VLP-1) and a range of novel analytical platforms such as Simoa and MSp. Novel proteomic techniques, such as Olink Proteomics, with high sensitivity and multiplexing ability, may become an important tool in biomarker discovery that can complement genomic analysis and provide important clues to the pathophysiology of many neurodegenerative disorders. Regulatory circular RNAs, micro RNAs and non-coding RNAs could be diagnostic biomarkers of neurodegenerative disorders. These may serve as characteristic fingerprints of disease state and could potentially reveal therapeutic targets. Future challenges include refining pre-analytical and analytical standardization, measuring other aspects of neurodegenerative pathophysiology and developing less-invasive fluid biomarkers that can also be used for screening and tracking purposes. Developments in exosomal preparations from body fluids for more precise biomarker measures of neurodegeneration are rapidly being developed. Real time (RT) Quic assays are being adapted for the identification of pathological protein aggregating species in body fluids to aid diagnosis of several neurodegenerative disorders.
We hopefully move towards an era of disease-modifying treatments, thus, reliable fluid biomarkers will be essential to increase diagnostic accuracy, allow for earlier diagnosis, better participant selection and disease activity and treatment effect monitoring.
This Research Topic welcome submissions of the following article types: original research, review, mini-reviews, systematic reviews, research protocol, opinion and hypothesis. We particularly welcome contributions that include, but are not limited to, the above mentioned topics.
