C2N Diagnostics Partners with The Michael J. Fox Foundation to Uncover New Links Between Parkinson’s Disease, Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Original from: business wire

A respected organization acclaimed for their groundbreaking work with neurological diseases, C2N Diagnostics, LLC, is partnering with The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to better understand the connections amongst neurodegenerative conditions, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and neuronal a-synuclein disease (NSD), which encompasses Parkinson’s disease (PD), Lewy body dementia (LBD) and REM behavior disorder (RBD).

Researchers say right now there’s limited existing data about the prevalence of biomarkers of AD and related dementias and neurodegeneration in the NSD patient population. MJFF’s grant of over $1.5 million to C2N will allow researchers to connect research fluid samples and novel fluid biomarker test results to better understand the interplay between the diseases.

The first phase of the initiative involves MJFF’s Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) using C2N’s PrecivityAD2™ blood test, which will aid researchers in their studies to detect amyloid plaques in the brain, a pathological hallmark of AD.

The researchers also will use C2N’s proprietary biomarker test that can measure the microtubule binding region of tau (MTBR-tau), which is specific for neurofibrillary “tau” tangles and can help diagnose and stage AD. In addition, the researchers will investigate how biomarkers of dementia and neurodegeneration change and impact NSD progression.

“Since its launch in 2010, The Michael J. Fox Foundation's Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) landmark observational study aims to identify biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease to accelerate breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment and prevention,” said Samantha Hutten, PhD, Vice President of Translational Research at MJFF. “We are excited to apply C2N’s analytically validated biomarker tests widely used in the field of Alzheimer’s disease research to the well characterized cohort of Parkinson’s biosamples in PPMI, to drive research forward and support clinical trials aimed at developing treatments for people living with Parkinson’s disease.”

Dr. Joel Braunstein, CEO of C2N Diagnostics, said, “We’re honored to work with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which is making significant progress in designing a milestone-driven, innovative and high-risk model to identify and accelerate the idea of finding the cure for Parkinson’s disease. Our partnership is a pivotal example of how C2N is leveraging its leadership position with precision diagnostic tools for and beyond Alzheimer’s disease, and we look forward to additional opportunities.”

Braunstein adds that the partnership demonstrates C2N’s use of highly sensitive and state-of-the-art proprietary liquid-chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methodologies to identify and measure certain proteins that are found in the blood and that are central to the pathophysiology of neurological diseases such as AD. He highlights that C2N’s assays have been used in over 150 research studies throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Source: C2N Diagnostics Partners with The Michael J. Fox Foundation to Uncover New Links Between Parkinson’s Disease, Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease