Measuring PD Progression

The Board of Directors of the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation has approved the expenditure of $250,000 to support an initiative of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in organizing a high-priority new project to develop new diagnostic tests, or “biomarkers” for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Fox Foundation has committed $1.75 million of its own funds to the project.

Currently, PD can only be diagnosed through clinical examination, and even the most expert clinicians experience misdiagnosis rates higher than for most diseases. Development of one or more biomarkers would greatly facilitate study of the causes, progression, and treatment of the disease.

The Fox Foundation is currently requesting investigator-initiated proposals to study or identify specific potential biomarkers for the onset and progression of PD. The initiative seeks novel approaches and also invites applications for pilot projects designed to obtain preliminary data that may lead to larger future projects.

A distinctive aspect of the biomarker field is that neither the Fox Foundation nor PDF has a preconceived concept of the specific strategies that should be pursued in developing biomarkers for PD, and the request for applications (RFA) does not state any such strategy. The RFA does stipulate, however, that essential features of a biomarker will include high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility.

While any new biomarker that meets these criteria will represent a major advance over what doctors now have available, additional desirable characteristics of the ideal biomarker will include:

• Minimal invasiveness or patient discomfort.
• Low per-usage cost — this is especially important if widespread screening is considered.
• Wide availability.
• A “subject-friendly” tool that could be implemented at many treatment centers. Among the other purposes to which a biomarker might be put are:
  • Identification of at-risk individuals.
  • Pre-clinical or early diagnosis.
  • Accurate charting of disease progression.
  • Improved diagnostic accuracy.