Researchers have identified a potential biomarker, ecto-GPR37, that could predict the progression rate of Parkinson’s disease. This discovery promises to revolutionize patient management and treatment approaches.
A new study by a team of researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has identified a groundbreaking biomarker that could significantly alter the management of Parkinson’s disease. The study, published in NPJ Parkinson’s Disease, reveals that levels of a molecule known as ecto-GPR37 in the cerebrospinal fluid are markedly elevated in patients who experience slow progression of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative condition characterized by symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement and postural instability. Effective management of the disease varies greatly depending on the rate of progression, making early and precise stratification essential.
“What this study suggests is that this biomarker could be used to define whether the progression of the disease will be rapid or slow. At a clinical level, being able to do this stratification is very important because the management of patients with slow-progressing Parkinson’s disease versus those with rapid progression implies a different clinical approach,” Francisco Ciruela, professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Barcelona and member of the Institute of Neurosciences (UBNeuro) and IDIBELL, said in a news release.
The research team, which includes experts from institutions such as the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and King’s College London, builds on a previous 2021 study. In that study, ecto-GPR37 was identified as a potential diagnostic biomarker for Parkinson’s disease. Ecto-GPR37 is a fragment derived from GPR37, a receptor associated with Parkinson’s, though its exact function and endogenous ligand remain unknown.
To ensure the specificity of ecto-GPR37 to Parkinson’s disease, the researchers analyzed its presence in cerebrospinal fluids from patients suffering not only from Parkinson’s but also from Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases like multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy.
The results were clear: elevated levels of ecto-GPR37 were found exclusively in patients with slow-progressing Parkinson’s disease, indicating its potential role as a predictor of disease progression.
“This discovery suggests a possible connection between GPR37 processing/expression and the speed of disease progression,” added Ciruela.
The differential pattern of GPR37 processing observed in other diseases further underscores its diagnostic potential.
The team is now aiming to validate these promising findings with a larger cohort of patients across multiple hospitals in Europe. The researchers emphasize the need for a multicentre clinical project to confirm the clinical utility and robustness of ecto-GPR37 as a prognostic tool.
Ciruela stressed the significance of the next steps, adding, “Therefore, the next step now would be to develop and launch a multicenter clinical project at European level that allows us to carry out the validation study with Parkinson’s patients, necessary to be able to move towards its clinical application.”
Moreover, thanks to funding from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the researchers have developed an assay to detect ecto-GPR37 in blood samples, making the biomarker easier to analyze and potentially more accessible.
The discovery of ecto-GPR37 as a biomarker for Parkinson’s disease progression could pave the way for treatment plans, improving the quality of life for those affected by this challenging condition.