H Lundbeck A/S : The hunt for a groundbreaking biomarker test for Parkinson's disease continues with additional support from the world-renowned Michael J. Fox Foundation

Three years ago, Lundbeck embarked on a journey to develop a validated biomarker test for Parkinson's disease focused on the detection of minute amounts of pathological aggregates formed by the protein alpha-synuclein. In collaboration with expert academic groups, Lundbeck scientists developed a test that determined with 90% accuracy whether a person had misfolded alpha-synuclein aggregates indicative of Parkinson's disease in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This objective biomarker enables a fast, early and more precise diagnosis, facilitating early intervention and allowing for more meaningful treatment outcomes. However, challenges related to scaling and robustness of the assay to achieve high precision remain.

"We are delighted that the MJFF grant enables us to combine our experience in the study of alpha-synuclein aggregation, as well as our microfluidics methods, with the long-standing efforts of Lundbeck to develop impactful diagnostics and therapeutics for patients with Parkinson's and MSA," says Büll, a professor of protein biophysics at the department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine at DTU with more than 10 years of experience in the study of pathological alpha-synuclein aggregation.

A robust, accurate and quantitative assay would aid early diagnosis and serve as a disease-progression marker, which, in turn, could contribute to development of disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson's. The project is pre-competitive, meaning that the results derived from the research will be shared with the pharmaceutical industry, academia and made public by MJFF. The funding will support a post-doctoral researcher for two years under joint supervision from DTU andLundbeck.