Biomarkers
[Sub topic of Therapies for ALS]
Related recent news releases
Validity of Proposed Markers of ALS to be Established by New Funding
Biomarkers Study Seeks ALS Patients and Other Volunteers
ALSA Funded Researchers Publish Possible Biomarkers of ALS
Methods now available make it possible to analyze very small amounts of fluid collected from living beings. Charged surfaces of protein binding chips can separate all the different proteins found in the blood or in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that bathes the brain and spinal cord, or in urine or other body secretions. Investigators can use an extremely sensitive technique to identify the separated molecules, called mass spectrometry. The initial results from investigations show that certain molecules are indeed decreased in CSF in ALS, and others increase. But these potential biomarkers must be verified as accurate indicators of the disease before they can be made into a diagnostic test.
Other routes to a biomarker of ALS would be imaging studies, if these can show that certain changes in the brain or spinal cord accompany the disease and are specific to ALS. New imaging methods promise the specificity and sensitivity that are required to produce an ALS diagnositic. Any measure that changes with ALS and is specific for ALS, and will not confuse ALS with another disorder, could serve as a biomarker for the disease.
Biomarkers for ALS: Current InvestigationsProject title: Identification of Diagnostic Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets for ALS
Cudkowicz, Merit, M.D., MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Bowser, Robert, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Brown, Robert, M.D., Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima, Ph.D., Duke University, Durham, N.C.
Paige, Lisa, Metabalon Inc, Research Triangle Park, N.C.
Diagnostic biomarkers are any small molecules that can be detected in the blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and are associated with a disease. Biomarkers would enable earlier and accurate diagnosis of ALS, with a greater chance for earlier treatment to alter the disease course. Biomarkers would also make it possible to measure the effectiveness of different drug treatments in clinical trials. A set of 19 proteins has shown promise as a biomarker panel for ALS. The investigators will continue testing samples with a focus on CSF, since the highest level of biomarkers may occur there. In addition, they will focus on biomarkers detected in ALS patients that have not received riluzole, since a diagnostic for ALS will likely be for people not yet receiving an ALS medication. Importantly, the researchers will seek the identity of the protein and metabolic biomarkers that appear to be specific to ALS. This will help explain the molecular reasons for the disease and inform the search for potential drug treatments.