C2N, MJFF team up to find link between Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s
Scientists will ID, measure biomarkers to learn how diseases overlap
C2N Diagnostics and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) are teaming up to study how Parkinson’s disease and similar neurodegenerative conditions overlap with Alzheimer’s disease.
With a grant in the amount of more than $1.5 million from MJFF, researchers at C2N will identify and measure certain biomarkers in blood that may help understand how the neurodegenerative diseases intertwine, the company said in a press release.
“We’re honored to work with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which is making significant progress in designing a milestone-driven, innovative, and high-risk model to identify and accelerate the idea of finding the cure for Parkinson’s disease,” C2N CEO Joel Braunstein, MD, said.
As a first step, MJFF’s Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) will use C2N’s PrecivityAD2, a test that measures abnormal forms of amyloid-beta and tau proteins, which are both involved in developing Alzheimer’s, in blood. With biosamples from more than 2,000 patients, MJFF’s PPMI “aims to identify biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease to accelerate breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention,” said Samantha Hutten, PhD, vice president of translational research at MJFF.
Exploring links among neurodegenerative diseases
The goal is to understand how these proteins are linked to Parkinson’s and other diseases caused by abnormal forms of alpha-synuclein that build up as toxic clumps in nerve cells, including Lewy body dementia and REM sleep behavior disorder, which often precede Parkinson’s disease.
“Our partnership is a pivotal example of how C2N is leveraging its leadership position with precision diagnostic tools for and beyond Alzheimer’s disease, and we look forward to additional opportunities,” Braunstein said.
The researchers also plan to use C2N’s test for the microtubule binding region of tau, which is specific for the tau tangles that build up in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s, and can help diagnose and track the progression of the disease.
The study will also explore how dementia-related biomarkers change over time and affect the progression of neurodegenerative diseases caused by abnormal forms of alpha-synuclein.
“We are excited to apply C2N’s analytically validated biomarker tests, widely used in the field of Alzheimer’s disease research, to the well characterized cohort of Parkinson’s biosamples in PPMI to drive research forward and support clinical trials aimed at developing treatments for people living with Parkinson’s disease,” Hutton said.
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