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SOM RESEARCHERS MAKE PARKINSON’S
DIAGNOSIS BREAKTHROUGH
In a breakthrough that could have a farreaching
impact for millions of people
worldwide, Rowan researchers announced
this fall that a blood test developed at
the University’s School of Osteopathic
Medicine can accurately detect earlystage
Parkinson’s disease and distinguish
between it and later stages of the disease.
The test, which searches for specific
autoantibodies in the blood, was nearly 88
percent accurate in diagnosing early-stage
disease and more than 97 percent accurate
in distinguishing different stages of the
disease. The research was led by Dr. Robert
Nagele, the director of the Biomarker
Discovery Center at the medical school’s
New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging.
According to Nagele, physicians currently
have to rely on clinical observation of
patients’ symptoms to diagnose Parkinson’s
disease, a process that is only accurate about
three-quarters of the time.
“An accurate and relatively non-invasive
test for early-stage Parkinson’s could have
a profound impact that leads to earlier
treatment of patients and allows for early
enrollment of patients into clinical trials,”
he said.
Parkinson’s disease affects nearly one
million Americans, with 60,000 new cases
diagnosed annually. Researchers widely
acknowledge that Parkinson’s and many
other neurological diseases attack the
brain years before symptoms emerge.
Detecting autoantibody biomarkers in the
blood at the preclinical stage would give
patients an opportunity to work with their
physicians to receive available treatments
and/or make beneficial lifestyle changes.
Potentially, this early intervention could
help avoid or delay the most devastating
aspects of their disease.
Nagele also noted that distinguishing
different stages of disease severity could
significantly benefit patients, physicians
and researchers by making it possible to
follow a patient’s disease course, rate of
progression and response to therapies.
As part of their study, the Rowan
researchers also reported that the test was
remarkably accurate in distinguishing
Parkinson’s from Alzheimer’s disease
(97 percent), multiple sclerosis (96.3
percent) and breast cancer (97.5 percent),
raising the possibility that the technology
developed at Rowan could one day yield
a single test capable of detecting the
presence of a wide variety of diseases.
Nagele’s research was supported by
grants from The Michael J. Fox Foundation
for Parkinson’s Research and by the
Osteopathic Heritage Foundation.
Dr. Nagele and his research staff
have developed a blood test that
can accurately detect early-stage
Parkinson’s disease, offering hope
for early intervention for millions of
people worldwide.
POPE FRANCIS OFFERS BLESSING
ALL IMAGE RIGHTS & COPYRIGHTS RESERVED TO THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICE OF “L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO”
For two decades, Dr. Paola Leone (School of Osteopathic Medicine)
and her team have researched Canavan disease, a rare and fatal
pediatric neurodegenerative disorder. Their work was the first to apply
viral gene therapy to Canavan patients, pointing to new, potential
pathways to slow the disease’s progression.
With an Italian nonprofit’s help, Leone secured approval for a
November meeting with Pope Francis and families of children with
Canavan disease.
“His Holiness walked down the sacred steps of St. Peter’s Basilica to
give his blessings,” Leone said. “His words of love and hope to me and
the families touched by this disease still resonate clearly in our ears.”
Winter 2016 | 7