Diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD)

A simple test to diagnose Parkinson's disease before symptoms appear by measuring the levels of a protein in blood is being developed by researchers from the Howard Florey Institute, the University of Melbourne and the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria.

While Florey researchers have also created a genetic test for PD (10% of PD cases are caused by genetic factors), this new test has a broader application by screening for many different types of PD and monitoring treatment, as well as measuring the effectiveness of drugs being developed to treat the disease.

Dr Qiao-Xin Li and colleagues from the University of Melbourne and the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, along with Prof Malcolm Horne from the Howard Florey Institute, found people with PD had low levels of the brain-secreted protein "alpha-synuclein' in their blood, while people without PD had high levels of the protein.

The test they developed measured alpha-synuclein levels in blood and was published in Experimental Neurology.

"Currently there is no specific PD diagnostic test so doctors rely on their observations to make a diagnosis, which means some patients may not be prescribed the most suitable medication and around 15% of those diagnosed may actually be suffering from something else," Horne said.

"Further studies are required to establish whether this test can distinguish between people who are responsive to treatment and those who are not."

The researchers are now trying to determine whether the test is applicable for all types of PD and to find out if it can measure the rate of progression and severity of the disease.

"If the results of our large-scale study are encouraging, this test could be available for clinical use within the next two years," Horne said. "We are now refining the test to make it quicker and cheaper so it can be offered to all those who have or are at risk of developing PD."

The Howard Florey Institute is currently seeking funding to further develop this test so it can become available for clinical use.