In an enormous leap forward in the understanding of Parkinson’s disease (PD), researchers have discovered a new tool that can reveal a key pathology of the disease: abnormal alpha-synuclein - known as the “Parkinson’s protein” - in brain and body cells. The breakthrough, announced yesterday by The Michael J. Fox Foundation, as it was published in the scientific journal The Lancet Neurology, opens a new chapter for research, with the promise of a future where every person living with Parkinson’s can expect improved care and treatments - and newly diagnosed individuals may never advance to full-blown symptoms.
The tool, called the α-synuclein seeding amplification assay, can detect pathology in spinal fluid not only of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but also in individuals who have not yet been diagnosed or shown clinical symptoms of the disease, but are at a high risk of developing it.
The assay can confirm the presence of abnormal alpha-synuclein, detected in most people with PD, with astonishing accuracy: 93 percent of people with Parkinson’s who participated in the assay were proven to have abnormal alpha-synuclein. “We've never previously been able to see in a living person whether they have this alpha-synuclein biological change happening in their body,” says Todd Sherer, PhD, chief mission officer, The Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Today, with this discovery in hand, Parkinson’s is moving from a disease primarily understood, diagnosed and measured through subjective clinical assessments to an objectively biologically defined disease - which makes possible new paradigms for clinical care, including earlier diagnosis and targeted treatments, and faster, smarter and cheaper drug development.
Following his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease back in the early '90s, Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox became an unwavering advocate for others living with the condition. The Michael J. Fox Foundation, founded in 2000, has become the leading provider of funds for Parkinson's research in the world - with over $1 billion already provided for research programs. A large chunk of that research goes into investigating potential cures for the disease.
“I’m moved, humbled and blown away by this breakthrough, which is already transforming research and care, with enormous opportunity to grow from here,” says Michael J. Fox. “I’m so grateful for the support of patients, families and researchers who are in it with us as we continue to kick down doors on the path to eradicating Parkinson’s once and for all.”
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