Diagnosis, Treatment, and Molecular Pathology of Central Nervous System Diseases
Supported generously by NIH-NIMH, NYSTAR, Institute for the Study of Aging, and Cornell University
There is currently no method available for the premortem diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
(AD) which is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder affecting more than five percent of
people over the age of 65 and nearly half of people over 85. Proteomics is being used to study
differences in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with AD as compared to the
CSF from normal individuals and patients with other forms of dementia (including Parkinson's disease).
These samples are obtained in collaboration with
Dr. Norman Relkin
at the Weill Medical College of Cornell in New York City,
with Dr. Peter LeWitt of the William Beaumont Hospital in Detroit MI, and others. Based on the
proven concept that changes in brain chemistry are reflected in CSF protein
composition, we seek a panel of quantitative and qualitative molecular markers for disease
that will result in the ability to reliably and objectively diagnose AD without the need for
postmortem pathology or brain biopsy. Because of the complexity of AD and related disorders,
we do not seek an individual protein marker, but find that patterns of gene expression
better reflect changes in brain pathology which are
hallmarks of the disease. We also investigate changes in protein expression as part of a
clinical trial on intravenous immunoglobin treatment of AD. This passive immunization strategy
has shown promise in a Phase I dose-ranging study. Our participation provides access to
serially collected CSF samples associated with treatment and may allow us to connect any
disease modifying effects at the molecular level with clinical outcomes.
See a recent presentation about our efforts in nanotechnology for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis
here. This
presentation was given at the NBTC Annual Symposium in August 2005 and is hosted by the New York Academy
of Sciences.
Developments from Area 1 provide new tools to aid our studies, while
progress in Area 2 provides insight into the mechanism by which proteins
cross cell membranes and our efforts in Area 4 guide a deeper understanding
of the mechanism of these diseases.
Molecular pathology of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
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