title: Biomarker candidates of neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease for the evaluation of disease-modifying therapeutics.
abstract: Reliable biomarkers that can be used for early diagnosis and tracking disease progression are the cornerstone of the development of disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD). The German Society of Experimental and Clinical Neurotherapeutics (GESENT) has convened a Working Group to review the current status of proposed biomarkers of neurodegeneration according to the following criteria and to develop a consensus statement on biomarker candidates for evaluation of disease-modifying therapeutics in PD. The criteria proposed are that the biomarker should be linked to fundamental features of PD neuropathology and mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in PD, should be correlated to disease progression assessed by clinical rating scales, should monitor the actual disease status, should be pre-clinically validated, and confirmed by at least two independent studies conducted by qualified investigators with the results published in peer-reviewed journals. To date, available data have not yet revealed one reliable biomarker to detect early neurodegeneration in PD and to detect and monitor effects of drug candidates on the disease process, but some promising biomarker candidates, such as antibodies against neuromelanin, pathological forms of α-synuclein, DJ-1, and patterns of gene expression, metabolomic and protein profiling exist. Almost all of the biomarker candidates were not investigated in relation to effects of treatment, validated in experimental models of PD and confirmed in independent studies.
authors.affiliation: Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Füchsleinstrasse 15, 97080 Würzburg, Germany. manfred.gerlach@uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gerlach
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maetzler
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Broich
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hampel
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rems
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reum
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riederer
authors.forename: Albrecht
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stöffler
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Streffer
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006801:Humans; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents