Invention:
This invention is a biomarker platform for Parkinson's disease (PD). It combines several parameters on a patient's dermal fibroblasts to diagnose and monitor the progression of PD. The parameters can potentially be correlated with specific clinical PD phenotypes and severity.
Background:
Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, contributing to the 10 million worldwide. Currently, PD is diagnosed at a relatively late stage when the disease has already advanced significantly. Making an accurate diagnosis of PD is difficult as there are no standard diagnostic tests. Most diagnoses are based on physician's observation and experience. The current best industry practice involves scanning the brain to measure dopamine and brain metabolism. Unfortunately, these tests are extremely expensive and are limited to specialized imaging centers. Hence, there is a critical need to develop reliable biomarkers for the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease. This invention fills the unmet need by potentially providing a set of standard tests for PD diagnosis and prognosis.
Applications:
- Diagnostic for Parkinson's disease
- Prognostic for Parkinson's disease
Advantages:
- Peripheral fibroblasts can be easily collected from patients
- Phenotypes of these fibroblasts are correlated with PD disease severity
- Potential to be used for both diagnosis and prognosis of PD
Status: issued U.S. patent #11,099,173 and #12,111,308
