title: Utility of autoantibodies as biomarkers for diagnosis and staging of neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: Autoantibodies are self-reactive antibodies that have been widely implicated as causal agents of autoimmune diseases. They are found in the blood of all human sera, regardless of age, gender, or the presence or absence of disease. While the underlying reason for their ubiquity remains unknown, it has been hypothesized that they participate in the clearance of blood-borne cell and tissue debris generated in both healthy and diseased individuals on a daily basis. Although much evidence supports this debris clearance role, recent studies also suggest a causal role for autoantibodies in disease. This chapter first presents well-known examples of autoimmune diseases that emphasize a direct causal role for autoantibodies and then discusses the veritable explosion of evidence now supporting their involvement in a wide variety of other diseases, including cancers and several types of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Lastly, translational strategies that take advantage of the "cause and/or effect" role of autoantibodies and recent technological advancements in their detection to exploit autoantibodies as sensitive and specific biomarkers useful for the detection and diagnosis of disease are outlined. Their use in the diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases is presented, and future applications in clinical medicine and basic science are highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Biomarker Discovery Center, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: DeMarshall
authors.affiliation: Biomarker Discovery Center, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Abhirup
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.affiliation: Biomarker Discovery Center, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Durin Technologies, Inc., New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Eric P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Nagele
authors.affiliation: Biomarker Discovery Center, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goldwaser
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Godsey
authors.affiliation: Biomarker Discovery Center, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Nimish K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.affiliation: Biomarker Discovery Center, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA; Durin Technologies, Inc., New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. Electronic address: nagelero@rowan.edu.
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Nagele
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Autoantibody; Autoantibody biomarker; Diagnostics; Immune system; Immunoglobulin; Natural autoantibodies; Neurodegenerative disease; Parkinson's disease