Validation of α-synuclein Modifications in Parkinson’s dIsoRder Evolution

Parkinson's disease (PD) presents a complex challenge due to its progressive neurodegenerative nature, affecting various body systems. Despite decades of research, understanding its onset and progression remains unclear, complicating early diagnosis and treatment. Recent advancements in PD physiopathology suggest promising treatments to slow disease progression, yet reversing cellular degeneration remains elusive. With novel therapies emerging, the need for early detection tools is urgent. However, validated biomarkers for PD diagnosis are lacking, relying on subjective scales like Hoehn and Yahr or costly medical imaging techniques. The accumulation of misfolded α-Synuclein (α-Syn) proteins in PD pathology has sparked interest, but defining diagnostic roles requires further investigation. Recent findings of α-Syn in neuronal-derived extracellular vesicles (NDEVs) from PD patients suggest a potential for novel diagnostic methods. Our proposed project, VαMPiRE, aims to conduct a longitudinal study involving 600 PD patients and 600 healthy subjects to explore α-Syn isoforms and related biomarkers in NDEVs for early PD detection.We plan to develop and validate an innovative in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) test capable of detecting PD's earliest stages and estimating disease prognosis and progression. Utilizing AI models to generate data analysis algorithms and collaboration with leading analytical laboratories and IVD manufacturers, we aim to ensure the reliability and feasibility of the developed prototype. Through consortium efforts, we envision licensing the generated intellectual property to drive the commercialization of our results. This can improve early screening of 270,000 new cases of PD could be detected early and improve the disease management of 9.4 M people currently diagnosed of PD and avoid losing a total of 5.8 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) by 2028 leading also the development of better treatments.