Potential Therapeutic Biomarkers for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Pipeline Grant

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Luana Fioriti, Head of Laboratory at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is an incurable disease, in which patients suffer from a progressive and inevitable motor and cognitive decline. The major cause of this disease is the presence of aggregated proteins in the brains of patients, among which is the protein tau.

It is often difficult to distinguish PSP from other diseases, such as Parkinson disease (PD). An early and correct diagnosis is crucial for appropriate and timely management of the disease, prognosis and clinical trial enrollment. In some cases, for example in other forms of dementia, so called biomarkers, ie molecules that circulate in the blood of patients and that reflect the status of the disease have been identified. Currently there are no biomarkers that can selectively identify PSP patients. Our work focuses on the identification of PSP specific biomarkers that have the potential to detect PSP pathology in very mildly symptomatic individuals to enable early diagnosis and intervention with disease-modifying therapies. As well, our findings may provide novel avenues of treatment.