Researchers Identify Potential Biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease

Because there is no standard clinical test to diagnose it, Parkinson’s disease often goes unrecognized until late in its progression, when neurons in the brain have already been destroyed. Now, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have detected elevated levels of a protein called alpha synuclein in the skin of Parkinson’s patients, likely offering a possible biomarker that will allow doctors to diagnose the disease in its early stages.

“There is a strong and unmet need for a biomarker for Parkinson’s disease,” says the study’s senior author. “Alpha-synuclein deposition within the skin has the potential to provide a safe, accessible and repeatable biomarker. Our next steps will be to test whether this protein is present in the cutaneous nerves of individuals at risk for Parkinson’s disease, and whether measurement of alpha-synuclein deposition in the skin can differentiate Parkinson’s disease from other neurodegenerative disorders.” Click here to read the full story.