Parkinson’s Disease Biomarker Found in Patient Urine Samples

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The biomarker, the protein kinase LRRK2, is a promising candidate for future exploration.

For years, spinal fluid samples from patients who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease have been stored away in freezers. Many hoped these samples would eventually provide insight into the progression for the slow-acting neurodegenerative disease that is Parkinson’s. After accessing these samples, researchers have identified a biomarker – a phosphorylated protein that correlates with the presence and severity of the disease. “Nobody thought we’d be able to measure the activity of this huge protein called LRRK2 (pronounced lark two) in biofluids since it is usually found inside neurons in the brain,” said West, co-director of the Center for Neurodegenerative and Experimental Therapeutics and the JOhn A. and Ruth R. Jurenko Professor of Neurology at UAB. To read more, click here.

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