Projects & Grants
| Neurofilament light chains as a marker for detection of the prodromal stage of Parkinson's disease | |
|---|---|
| Project Id | SGS02/LF/2024 |
| Main solver | Mgr. Eva Augste |
| Period | 1/2024 - 12/2024 |
| Provider | Specifický VŠ výzkum |
| State | solved |
| Anotation | Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic progressive disease that results from degeneration of neurons in the substantia nigra and other nuclei of the brainstem, cortex and peripheral ganglia. Symptoms of this disease include motor disturbances such as tremor, slowness of movement (bradykinesia) and rigidity. However, in the early stages of this disease, symptoms are mainly non-motor in nature, which include impaired intestinal motility, depression, fatigue, impaired or complete loss of sense of smell, and others. The correlation between motor and non-motor symptoms and the progression of PN has already been established, but would it be possible in the future to detect PD from a blood drop before the initial symptoms appear? The aim of the project is to determine whether the presence of neurofilament light chains (NfL) in the blood can be demonstrated in individuals with initial symptoms that could indicate the onset of neurodegenerative disease (loss of sense of smell, sleep disturbances). NfL is one of the biomarkers found at elevated levels in patients with established PD. If they were also shown to be present at higher levels in people at risk of developing PD, this could be used as an additional diagnostic marker. Data from a previous project (SGS/07/LF/2021) will be used for this project. This project developed a database of PD patients, controls and people at risk of developing PD, including relatives of PD patients. For all groups, serum samples have been isolated from the collected blood and these can be used in the submitted grant proposal as a starting biological material to test for the presence of NfL and to prove or disprove the association with the above mentioned symptoms of PD. The outcome of this work should be the identification of an early marker in the blood that will simplify and improve the detection of PN in individuals in the prodromal or preclinical stage of PD. |
