1
|
Karimova D, Rostami E, Chubarev VN, Tarasov VV, Schiöth HB, Rask-Andersen M. Advances in development of biomarkers for brain damage and ischemia. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:803. [PMID: 39001884 PMCID: PMC11246271 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09708-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Acquired brain injury is an urgent situation that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) are required for accurate diagnosis. However, these methods are costly and require substantial infrastructure and specialized staff. Circulatory biomarkers of acute brain injury may help in the management of patients with acute cerebrovascular events and prevent poor outcome and mortality. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the development of potential biomarkers of brain damage to increase diagnostic possibilities. For this purpose, we searched the PubMed database of studies on the diagnostic potential of brain injury biomarkers. We also accessed information from Clinicaltrials.gov to identify any clinical trials of biomarker measurements for the diagnosis of brain damage. In total, we present 41 proteins, enzymes and hormones that have been considered as biomarkers for brain injury, of which 20 have been studied in clinical trials. Several microRNAs have also emerged as potential clinical biomarkers for early diagnosis. Combining multiple biomarkers in a panel, along with other parameters, is yielding promising outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diana Karimova
- Functional Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala, University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elham Rostami
- Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Vladimir N Chubarev
- Advanced Molecular Technology, Limited Liable Company (LLC), Moscow, 354340, Russia
| | - Vadim V Tarasov
- Advanced Molecular Technology, Limited Liable Company (LLC), Moscow, 354340, Russia
| | - Helgi B Schiöth
- Functional Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala, University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mathias Rask-Andersen
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gebrehiwet P, Brekke J, Rudnicki SA, Mellor J, Wright J, Earl L, Ball N, Iqbal H, Thomas O, Castellano G. Time from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis symptom onset to key disease milestones: analysis of data from a multinational cross-sectional survey. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2024; 25:345-357. [PMID: 38156828 DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2023.2297795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the average time from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) symptom onset to 11 pre-defined milestones, overall and according to ALS progression rate and geographic location. METHODS Data were drawn from the Adelphi Real World ALS Disease-Specific ProgrammeTM, a point-in-time survey of neurologists caring for people living with ALS (pALS) conducted in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States from 2020-2021. ALS progression rate was calculated using time since symptom onset and ALS Functional Rating Scale Revised score. RESULTS Survey results were available for N = 1003 pALS (progression rate for N = 867). Mean time from symptom onset was 3.8 months to first consultation, 8.0 months to diagnosis, 16.2 months to employment change (part-time/sick leave/retirement/unemployment), 17.5 months to use of a walking aid, 18.5 months to first occurrence of caregiver support, 22.8 months to use of a wheelchair, 24.6 months to use of a communication aid, 27.3 months to use of a respiratory aid, 28.6 months to use of gastrostomy feeding, 29.7 months to use of eye gaze technology and 30.3 months to entering a care facility. Multivariate analysis indicated significant effects of fast (versus slow) progression rate on time to reach all 11 milestones, as well as US (versus European) location, age, body mass index and bulbar onset (versus other) on time to reach milestones. CONCLUSIONS pALS rapidly reached clinical and disease-related milestones within 30 months from symptom onset. Milestones were reached significantly faster by pALS with fast versus slow progression. Geographic differences were observed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paulos Gebrehiwet
- Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Cytokinetics, Incorporated ,South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Johan Brekke
- Medical Affairs, Cytokinetics, Incorporated, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Stacy A Rudnicki
- Clinical Research, Cytokinetics, Incorporated, South San Francisco, CA, USA and
| | | | - Jack Wright
- Real World Evidence, Adelphi Real World, Bollington, UK
| | - Lucy Earl
- Real World Evidence, Adelphi Real World, Bollington, UK
| | - Nathan Ball
- Real World Evidence, Adelphi Real World, Bollington, UK
| | - Halima Iqbal
- Real World Evidence, Adelphi Real World, Bollington, UK
| | - Owen Thomas
- Real World Evidence, Adelphi Real World, Bollington, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Shahim P, Norato G, Sinaii N, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Chan L, Grunseich C. Neurofilaments in Sporadic and Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:496. [PMID: 38674431 PMCID: PMC11050235 DOI: 10.3390/genes15040496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurofilament proteins have been implicated to be altered in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The objectives of this study were to assess the diagnostic and prognostic utility of neurofilaments in ALS. METHODS Studies were conducted in electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL) from inception to 17 August 2023, and investigated neurofilament light (NfL) or phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH) in ALS. The study design, enrolment criteria, neurofilament concentrations, test accuracy, relationship between neurofilaments in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood, and clinical outcome were recorded. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022376939. RESULTS Sixty studies with 8801 participants were included. Both NfL and pNfH measured in CSF showed high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing ALS from disease mimics. Both NfL and pNfH measured in CSF correlated with their corresponding levels in blood (plasma or serum); however, there were stronger correlations between CSF NfL and blood NfL. NfL measured in blood exhibited high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing ALS from controls. Both higher levels of NfL and pNfH either measured in blood or CSF were correlated with more severe symptoms as assessed by the ALS Functional Rating Scale Revised score and with a faster disease progression rate; however, only blood NfL levels were associated with shorter survival. DISCUSSION Both NfL and pNfH measured in CSF or blood show high diagnostic utility and association with ALS functional scores and disease progression, while CSF NfL correlates strongly with blood (either plasma or serum) and is also associated with survival, supporting its use in clinical diagnostics and prognosis. Future work must be conducted in a prospective manner with standardized bio-specimen collection methods and analytical platforms, further improvement in immunoassays for quantification of pNfH in blood, and the identification of cut-offs across the ALS spectrum and controls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pashtun Shahim
- Rehabilitation Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
- National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (G.N.); (C.G.)
- Department of Neurology, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA
- The Military Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative (MTBI2), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
- The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - Gina Norato
- National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (G.N.); (C.G.)
| | - Ninet Sinaii
- Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology Service, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 431 41 Molndal, Sweden; (H.Z.); (K.B.)
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahglrenska University Hospital, 431 41 Molndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong 518172, China
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53792, USA
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 431 41 Molndal, Sweden; (H.Z.); (K.B.)
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahglrenska University Hospital, 431 41 Molndal, Sweden
| | - Leighton Chan
- Rehabilitation Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
| | - Christopher Grunseich
- National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (G.N.); (C.G.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bellanti R, Keddie S, Lunn MP, Rinaldi S. Ultrasensitive assay technology and fluid biomarkers for the evaluation of peripheral nerve disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2024; 95:114-124. [PMID: 37821222 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2023-332031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
The field of biomarker discovery is rapidly expanding. The introduction of ultrasensitive immunoassays and the growing precision of genetic technologies are poised to revolutionise the assessment and monitoring of many diseases. Given the difficulties in imaging and tissue diagnosis, there is mounting interest in serum and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of peripheral neuropathy. Realised and potential fluid biomarkers of peripheral nerve disease include neuronal biomarkers of axonal degeneration, glial biomarkers for peripheral demyelinating disorders, immunopathogenic biomarkers (such as the presence and titre of antibodies or the levels of cytokines) and genetic biomarkers. Several are already starting to inform clinical practice, whereas others remain under evaluation as potential indicators of disease activity and treatment response. As more biomarkers become available for clinical use, it has become increasingly difficult for clinicians and researchers to keep up-to-date with the most recent discovery and interpretation. In this review, we aim to inform practising neurologists, neuroscientists and other clinicians about recent advances in fluid biomarker technology, with a focus on single molecule arrays (Simoa), chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassays (CLEIA), electrochemiluminescence (ECL), proximity extension assays (PEA), and microfluidic technology. We discuss established and emerging fluid biomarkers of peripheral neuropathy, their clinical applications, limitations and potential future developments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Bellanti
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen Keddie
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK
| | - Michael P Lunn
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroinflammation, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Simon Rinaldi
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
McMackin R, Bede P, Ingre C, Malaspina A, Hardiman O. Biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: current status and future prospects. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:754-768. [PMID: 37949994 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-023-00891-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Disease heterogeneity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis poses a substantial challenge in drug development. Categorization based on clinical features alone can help us predict the disease course and survival, but quantitative measures are also needed that can enhance the sensitivity of the clinical categorization. In this Review, we describe the emerging landscape of diagnostic, categorical and pharmacodynamic biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their place in the rapidly evolving landscape of new therapeutics. Fluid-based markers from cerebrospinal fluid, blood and urine are emerging as useful diagnostic, pharmacodynamic and predictive biomarkers. Combinations of imaging measures have the potential to provide important diagnostic and prognostic information, and neurophysiological methods, including various electromyography-based measures and quantitative EEG-magnetoencephalography-evoked responses and corticomuscular coherence, are generating useful diagnostic, categorical and prognostic markers. Although none of these biomarker technologies has been fully incorporated into clinical practice or clinical trials as a primary outcome measure, strong evidence is accumulating to support their clinical utility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roisin McMackin
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Academic Unit of Neurology, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Peter Bede
- Academic Unit of Neurology, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Computational Neuroimaging Group, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Neurology, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Caroline Ingre
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neurology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Orla Hardiman
- Academic Unit of Neurology, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
- Department of Neurology, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rogers ML, Schultz DW, Karnaros V, Shepheard SR. Urinary biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: candidates, opportunities and considerations. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad287. [PMID: 37946793 PMCID: PMC10631861 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a relentless neurodegenerative disease that is mostly fatal within 3-5 years and is diagnosed on evidence of progressive upper and lower motor neuron degeneration. Around 15% of those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also have frontotemporal degeneration, and gene mutations account for ∼10%. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a variable heterogeneous disease, and it is becoming increasingly clear that numerous different disease processes culminate in the final degeneration of motor neurons. There is a profound need to clearly articulate and measure pathological process that occurs. Such information is needed to tailor treatments to individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis according to an individual's pathological fingerprint. For new candidate therapies, there is also a need for methods to select patients according to expected treatment outcomes and measure the success, or not, of treatments. Biomarkers are essential tools to fulfil these needs, and urine is a rich source for candidate biofluid biomarkers. This review will describe promising candidate urinary biomarkers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other possible urinary candidates in future areas of investigation as well as the limitations of urinary biomarkers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary-Louise Rogers
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide 5042, South Australia, Australia
| | - David W Schultz
- Neurology Department and MND Clinic, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide 5042, South Australia, Australia
| | - Vassilios Karnaros
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide 5042, South Australia, Australia
| | - Stephanie R Shepheard
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide 5042, South Australia, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bagyinszky E, Hulme J, An SSA. Studies of Genetic and Proteomic Risk Factors of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Inspire Biomarker Development and Gene Therapy. Cells 2023; 12:1948. [PMID: 37566027 PMCID: PMC10417729 DOI: 10.3390/cells12151948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease affecting the upper and lower motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness, motor impairments, disabilities and death. Approximately 5-10% of ALS cases are associated with positive family history (familial ALS or fALS), whilst the remainder are sporadic (sporadic ALS, sALS). At least 50 genes have been identified as causative or risk factors for ALS. Established pathogenic variants include superoxide dismutase type 1 (SOD1), chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (c9orf72), TAR DNA Binding Protein (TARDBP), and Fused In Sarcoma (FUS); additional ALS-related genes including Charged Multivesicular Body Protein 2B (CHMP2B), Senataxin (SETX), Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1), TANK Binding Kinase 1 (TBK1) and NIMA Related Kinase 1 (NEK1), have been identified. Mutations in these genes could impair different mechanisms, including vesicle transport, autophagy, and cytoskeletal or mitochondrial functions. So far, there is no effective therapy against ALS. Thus, early diagnosis and disease risk predictions remain one of the best options against ALS symptomologies. Proteomic biomarkers, microRNAs, and extracellular vehicles (EVs) serve as promising tools for disease diagnosis or progression assessment. These markers are relatively easy to obtain from blood or cerebrospinal fluids and can be used to identify potential genetic causative and risk factors even in the preclinical stage before symptoms appear. In addition, antisense oligonucleotides and RNA gene therapies have successfully been employed against other diseases, such as childhood-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which could also give hope to ALS patients. Therefore, an effective gene and biomarker panel should be generated for potentially "at risk" individuals to provide timely interventions and better treatment outcomes for ALS patients as soon as possible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bagyinszky
- Graduate School of Environment Department of Industrial and Environmental Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea;
| | - John Hulme
- Graduate School of Environment Department of Industrial and Environmental Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea;
| | - Seong Soo A. An
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Mead RJ, Shan N, Reiser HJ, Marshall F, Shaw PJ. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a neurodegenerative disorder poised for successful therapeutic translation. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2023; 22:185-212. [PMID: 36543887 PMCID: PMC9768794 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-022-00612-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 97.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating disease caused by degeneration of motor neurons. As with all major neurodegenerative disorders, development of disease-modifying therapies has proven challenging for multiple reasons. Nevertheless, ALS is one of the few neurodegenerative diseases for which disease-modifying therapies are approved. Significant discoveries and advances have been made in ALS preclinical models, genetics, pathology, biomarkers, imaging and clinical readouts over the last 10-15 years. At the same time, novel therapeutic paradigms are being applied in areas of high unmet medical need, including neurodegenerative disorders. These developments have evolved our knowledge base, allowing identification of targeted candidate therapies for ALS with diverse mechanisms of action. In this Review, we discuss how this advanced knowledge, aligned with new approaches, can enable effective translation of therapeutic agents from preclinical studies through to clinical benefit for patients with ALS. We anticipate that this approach in ALS will also positively impact the field of drug discovery for neurodegenerative disorders more broadly.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Mead
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Keapstone Therapeutics, The Innovation Centre, Broomhall, Sheffield, UK
| | - Ning Shan
- Aclipse Therapeutics, Radnor, PA, US
| | | | - Fiona Marshall
- MSD UK Discovery Centre, Merck, Sharp and Dohme (UK) Limited, London, UK
| | - Pamela J Shaw
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
- Keapstone Therapeutics, The Innovation Centre, Broomhall, Sheffield, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Diagnostic utility of neurofilament markers for MND is limited in restricted disease phenotype and for differentiation from compressive myeloradiculopathies. J Neurol 2023; 270:1600-1614. [PMID: 36456758 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-022-11504-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Misdiagnosis is frequent in early motor neuron disease (MND), typically compressive radiculopathy, or in patients with restricted MND phenotype. In this retrospective, single tertiary centre study, we measured levels of neurofilament light (NfL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy (p-NfH) chain in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and of p-NfH in serum with commercially available ELISA kits and assessed their respective diagnostic performance as a marker of MND. The entire study population (n = 164) comprised 71 MND patients, 30 patients with compressive myelo- or radiculopathy, and 63 disease controls (DC). Among MND patients, we specified subgroups with only lower motoneuron involvement (MND-LMN, n = 15) and with confounding nerve roots or spinal cord compression (MND-C, n = 18), representing clinical diagnostic pitfalls. MND-LMN displayed significantly lower CSF NfL (p = 0.003) and p-NFH (p = 0.017), but not serum p-NfH (p = 0.347) levels compared to other MND patients (n = 56). The discriminative ability (area under the curve-AUC) of both CSF Nfs towards all MND patients was comparable to each other but significantly higher than that of p-NfH in serum (ps < 0.001). AUC of both CSF Nfs between MND-LMN and DC and also between MND-C and myelo-/radiculopathies were reduced, as compared to AUC between other MND and DC or myelo-/radiculopathies, respectively. Our results suggest that both Nfs in CSF represent a reliable diagnostic marker in a general MND population, fulfilling Awaji criteria. As for diagnostic pitfalls, and also for p-NfH in serum, their discriminative ability and, therefore, clinical utility appears to be limited.
Collapse
|
10
|
Vidovic M, Müschen LH, Brakemeier S, Machetanz G, Naumann M, Castro-Gomez S. Current State and Future Directions in the Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Cells 2023; 12:cells12050736. [PMID: 36899872 PMCID: PMC10000757 DOI: 10.3390/cells12050736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of upper and lower motor neurons, resulting in progressive weakness of all voluntary muscles and eventual respiratory failure. Non-motor symptoms, such as cognitive and behavioral changes, frequently occur over the course of the disease. Considering its poor prognosis with a median survival time of 2 to 4 years and limited causal treatment options, an early diagnosis of ALS plays an essential role. In the past, diagnosis has primarily been determined by clinical findings supported by electrophysiological and laboratory measurements. To increase diagnostic accuracy, reduce diagnostic delay, optimize stratification in clinical trials and provide quantitative monitoring of disease progression and treatment responsivity, research on disease-specific and feasible fluid biomarkers, such as neurofilaments, has been intensely pursued. Advances in imaging techniques have additionally yielded diagnostic benefits. Growing perception and greater availability of genetic testing facilitate early identification of pathogenic ALS-related gene mutations, predictive testing and access to novel therapeutic agents in clinical trials addressing disease-modified therapies before the advent of the first clinical symptoms. Lately, personalized survival prediction models have been proposed to offer a more detailed disclosure of the prognosis for the patient. In this review, the established procedures and future directions in the diagnostics of ALS are summarized to serve as a practical guideline and to improve the diagnostic pathway of this burdensome disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Vidovic
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Correspondence: (M.V.); (S.C.-G.)
| | | | - Svenja Brakemeier
- Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Gerrit Machetanz
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Marcel Naumann
- Translational Neurodegeneration Section “Albrecht Kossel”, Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, University of Rostock, 18147 Rostock, Germany
| | - Sergio Castro-Gomez
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Geriatric Psychiatry/Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Institute of Physiology II, University Hospital Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
- Department of Neuroimmunology, Institute of Innate Immunity, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Correspondence: (M.V.); (S.C.-G.)
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Mavragani A, Fujita K, Oki R, Osaki Y, Miyamoto R, Morino H, Nagano S, Atsuta N, Kanazawa Y, Matsumoto Y, Arisawa A, Kawai H, Sato Y, Sakaguchi S, Yagi K, Hamatani T, Kagimura T, Yanagawa H, Mochizuki H, Doyu M, Sobue G, Harada M, Izumi Y. An Exploratory Trial of EPI-589 in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (EPIC-ALS): Protocol for a Multicenter, Open-Labeled, 24-Week, Single-Group Study. JMIR Res Protoc 2023; 12:e42032. [PMID: 36716091 PMCID: PMC9926342 DOI: 10.2196/42032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, with its currently approved drugs, including riluzole and edaravone, showing limited therapeutic effects. Therefore, safe and effective drugs are urgently necessary. EPI-589 is an orally available, small-molecule, novel redox-active agent characterized by highly potent protective effects against oxidative stress with high blood-brain barrier permeability. Given the apparent oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction involvement in the pathogenesis of ALS, EPI-589 may hold promise as a therapeutic agent. OBJECTIVE This protocol aims to describe the design and rationale for the EPI-589 Early Phase 2 Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trial for ALS (EPIC-ALS). METHODS EPIC-ALS is an explorative, open-labeled, single-arm trial that evaluates the safety and tolerability of EPI-589 in patients with ALS. This trial consists of 12-week run-in, 24-week treatment, and 4-week follow-up periods. Patients will receive 500 mg of EPI-589 3 times daily over the 24-week treatment period. Clinical assessments include the mean monthly change of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised total score. The biomarkers are selected to analyze the effect on oxidative stress and neuronal damage. The plasma biomarkers are 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), neurofilament light chain (NfL), phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH), homocysteine, and creatinine. The cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers are 8-OHdG, 3-NT, NfL, pNfH, and ornithine. The magnetic resonance biomarkers are fractional anisotropy in the corticospinal tract and N-acetylaspartate in the primary motor area. RESULTS This trial began data collection in September 2021 and is expected to be completed in October 2023. CONCLUSIONS This study can provide useful data to understand the characteristics of EPI-589. TRIAL REGISTRATION Japan Primary Registries Network jRCT2061210031; tinyurl.com/2p84emu6. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/42032.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Koji Fujita
- Department of Neurology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Oki
- Department of Neurology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Yusuke Osaki
- Department of Neurology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Miyamoto
- Department of Neurology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Morino
- Department of Medical Genetics, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Seiichi Nagano
- Department of Neurotherapeutics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.,Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Naoki Atsuta
- Department of Neurology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Yuki Kanazawa
- Department of Biomedical Information Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Yuki Matsumoto
- Department of Radiology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Atsuko Arisawa
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Hisashi Kawai
- Department of Radiology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Yasutaka Sato
- Clinical Research Center for Developmental Therapeutics, Tokushima University Hospital, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Satoshi Sakaguchi
- Clinical Research Center for Developmental Therapeutics, Tokushima University Hospital, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Kenta Yagi
- Clinical Research Center for Developmental Therapeutics, Tokushima University Hospital, Tokushima, Japan
| | | | - Tatsuo Kagimura
- The Translational Research Center for Medical Innovation, Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe, Kobe, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Yanagawa
- Clinical Research Center for Developmental Therapeutics, Tokushima University Hospital, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Hideki Mochizuki
- Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Manabu Doyu
- Department of Neurology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Gen Sobue
- Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Masafumi Harada
- Department of Radiology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Yuishin Izumi
- Department of Neurology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Muacevic A, Adler JR, Xu L, Collins L, Luo E, Ripple KM, de Castro GC, Boua JVK, Marius C, Giamberardino C, Lad SP, Islam Williams T, Bereman MS, Bedlack RS. Filtered Cerebrospinal Fluid From Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Displays an Altered Proteome and Affects Motor Phenotype in a Mouse Model. Cureus 2022; 14:e32980. [PMID: 36712738 PMCID: PMC9877488 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.32980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) due to its ability to spread inflammatory proteins throughout the nervous system. We hypothesized that filtration of the CSF could remove pathogenic proteins and prevent them from altering motor phenotypes in a mouse model. METHODS We filtered the CSF from 11 ALS patients via 100 kilodaltons (kD) molecular weight cut-off filters. We used mass spectrometry-based discovery proteomics workflows to compare protein abundances before and after filtration. To test the effects of CSF filtration on motor function, we injected groups of mice with saline, filtered ALS-CSF, or unfiltered ALS-CSF (n=12 per group) and assessed motor function via pole descent and open field tests. RESULTS We identified proteins implicated in ALS pathogenesis and showed that these were removed in significant amounts in our workflow. Key filtered proteins included complement proteins, chitinases, serine protease inhibitors, and neuro-inflammatory proteins such as amyloid precursor protein, chromogranin A, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Compared to the filtered ALS-CSF mice, unfiltered ALS-CSF mice took longer to descend a pole (10 days post-injection, 11.14 seconds vs 14.25 seconds, p = 0.02) and explored less on an open field (one day post-injection, 21.81 m vs 16.83 m, p = 0.0004). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated the ability to filter proteins from the CSF of ALS patients and identified potentially pathologic proteins that were reduced in quantity. Additionally, we demonstrated the ability of unfiltered ALS-CSF to induce motor deficits in mice on the pole descent and open field tests and showed that filtration could prevent this deficit. Given the lack of effective treatments for ALS, this could be a novel solution for patients suffering from this deadly and irreversible condition.
Collapse
|
13
|
Sturmey E, Malaspina A. Blood biomarkers in ALS: challenges, applications and novel frontiers. Acta Neurol Scand 2022; 146:375-388. [PMID: 36156207 PMCID: PMC9828487 DOI: 10.1111/ane.13698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron disease among adults. With diagnosis reached relatively late into the disease process, extensive motor cell loss narrows the window for therapeutic opportunities. Clinical heterogeneity in ALS and the lack of disease-specific biomarkers have so far led to large-sized clinical trials with long follow-up needed to define clinical outcomes. In advanced ALS patients, there is presently limited scope to use imaging or invasive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection as a source of disease biomarkers. The development of more patient-friendly and accessible blood biomarker assays is hampered by analytical hurdles like the matrix effect of blood components. However, blood also provides the opportunity to identify disease-specific adaptive changes of the stoichiometry and conformation of target proteins and the endogenous immunological response to low-abundance brain peptides, such as neurofilaments (Nf). Among those biomarkers under investigation in ALS, the change in concentration before or after diagnosis of Nf has been shown to aid prognostication and to allow the a priori stratification of ALS patients into smaller sized and clinically more homogeneous cohorts, supporting more affordable clinical trials. Here, we discuss the technical hurdles affecting reproducible and sensitive biomarker measurement in blood. We also summarize the state of the art of non-CSF biomarkers in the study of prognosis, disease progression, and treatment response. We will then address the potential as disease-specific biomarkers of the newly discovered cryptic peptides which are formed down-stream of TDP-43 loss of function, the hallmark of ALS pathobiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ellie Sturmey
- Centre of Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- Centre of Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.,Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Wang L, Zhang W, Liu F, Mao C, Liu CF, Cheng W, Feng J. Association of Cerebrospinal Fluid Neurofilament Heavy Protein Levels With Clinical Progression in Patients With Parkinson Disease. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2223821. [PMID: 35881392 PMCID: PMC9327574 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.23821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Neurofilament light in biofluids has been associated with progression of Parkinson disease (PD), but the association between neurofilament heavy (NfH) and progression of PD has not been investigated. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the associations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) NfH (cNfH) levels and motor and cognitive progression in PD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study used data from the Parkinson Progression Marker Initiative ranging from June 2010 to November 2018. Participants were recruited from 24 participating sites worldwide (United States, Europe, and Australia). Data were analyzed from October 20 to December 18, 2021. EXPOSURES Concentrations of NfH in CSF. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcomes were Movement Disorder Society-sponsored revisions of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III; scores range from 0 to 132, with higher scores indicating worse motor function, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better cognitive function. The associations of cNfH levels and longitudinal change in MDS-UPDRS-Part-III and MoCA were examined using linear mixed-effects models with PD duration as the time scale. Partial correlation analysis was conducted to examine the associations of cNfH levels and α-synuclein, amyloid-β 1-42 (Aβ42), phosphorylated tau at threonine 181 position (P-tau), and total tau (T-tau) levels in CSF. RESULTS A total of 404 patients with PD (mean [SD] age, 61.7 [9.7] years; 263 were men [65.1%]; within 2 years of diagnosis; Hoehn and Yahr <3) were included. Higher baseline cNfH levels were associated with greater increases in MDS-UPDRS Part-III (β = 0.39; 95% CI, 0.12-0.66; P = .003) and faster decreases in MoCA (β = -0.18; CI, -0.24 to -0.11; P < .001). Levels of cNfH were correlated with CSF levels of α-synuclein (Spearman r = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.15-0.34; P < .001), Aβ42 (Spearman r = 0.18; 95% CI, 0.08-0.27; P < .001), P-tau (Spearman r = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.15-0.35; P < .001), and T-tau (Spearman r = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.21-0.40; P < .001) at baseline. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Higher baseline cNfH levels were associated with faster motor and cognitive progression. This finding suggests that cNfH may be of some value for stratifying patients with PD who have different progression rates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linbo Wang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Fengtao Liu
- Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital North, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chengjie Mao
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Research Center of Neurological Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chun-Feng Liu
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Research Center of Neurological Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Wei Cheng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianfeng Feng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China
- Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Zecca C, Dell'Abate MT, Pasculli G, Capozzo R, Barone R, Arima S, Pollice A, Brescia V, Tortelli R, Logroscino G. Role of plasma phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Cell Mol Med 2022; 26:3608-3615. [PMID: 35715961 PMCID: PMC9258711 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.17232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH) is a promising biomarker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We examined plasma pNfH concentrations in order to corroborate its role as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in ALS. Incident ALS cases enrolled in a population‐based registry were retrospectively selected and matched by sex and age with a cohort of healthy volunteers. Plasma pNfH levels were measured by an ELISA kit and correlated with clinical parameters. Discrimination ability of pNfH was tested using receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Kaplan–Meier (KM) analysis and Cox proportional hazard models were used for survival analysis. Plasma pNfH was significantly higher in patients compared to controls. An optimal cut‐off of 39.74 pg/ml discriminated cases from controls with an elevated sensitivity and specificity. Bulbar‐onset cases had higher plasma pNfH compared to spinal onset (p = 0.0033). Furthermore, plasma pNfH positively correlated with disease progression rate (r = 0.19, p = 0.031). Baseline plasma pNfH did not influence survival in our cohort. Our findings confirmed the potential utility of plasma pNfH as a diagnostic biomarker in ALS. However, further studies with longitudinal data are needed to corroborate its prognostic value.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Zecca
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro" at "Pia Fondazione Card G. Panico" Hospital Tricase, Lecce, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Dell'Abate
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro" at "Pia Fondazione Card G. Panico" Hospital Tricase, Lecce, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Pasculli
- Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering Antonio Ruberti (DIAG) La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Rosa Capozzo
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro" at "Pia Fondazione Card G. Panico" Hospital Tricase, Lecce, Italy
| | - Roberta Barone
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro" at "Pia Fondazione Card G. Panico" Hospital Tricase, Lecce, Italy
| | - Serena Arima
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Alessio Pollice
- Department of Economics and Finance, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Lecce, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Brescia
- Unit of Laboratory Medicine, "Pia Fondazione Card.G. Panico" Hospital, Lecce, Italy
| | - Rosanna Tortelli
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro" at "Pia Fondazione Card G. Panico" Hospital Tricase, Lecce, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Logroscino
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro" at "Pia Fondazione Card G. Panico" Hospital Tricase, Lecce, Italy.,Department of Basic Medicine Sciences, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
van der Ende EL, Bron EE, Poos JM, Jiskoot LC, Panman JL, Papma JM, Meeter LH, Dopper EGP, Wilke C, Synofzik M, Heller C, Swift IJ, Sogorb-Esteve A, Bouzigues A, Borroni B, Sanchez-Valle R, Moreno F, Graff C, Laforce R, Galimberti D, Masellis M, Tartaglia MC, Finger E, Vandenberghe R, Rowe JB, de Mendonça A, Tagliavini F, Santana I, Ducharme S, Butler CR, Gerhard A, Levin J, Danek A, Otto M, Pijnenburg YAL, Sorbi S, Zetterberg H, Niessen WJ, Rohrer JD, Klein S, van Swieten JC, Venkatraghavan V, Seelaar H. A data-driven disease progression model of fluid biomarkers in genetic frontotemporal dementia. Brain 2022; 145:1805-1817. [PMID: 34633446 PMCID: PMC9166533 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Several CSF and blood biomarkers for genetic frontotemporal dementia have been proposed, including those reflecting neuroaxonal loss (neurofilament light chain and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain), synapse dysfunction [neuronal pentraxin 2 (NPTX2)], astrogliosis (glial fibrillary acidic protein) and complement activation (C1q, C3b). Determining the sequence in which biomarkers become abnormal over the course of disease could facilitate disease staging and help identify mutation carriers with prodromal or early-stage frontotemporal dementia, which is especially important as pharmaceutical trials emerge. We aimed to model the sequence of biomarker abnormalities in presymptomatic and symptomatic genetic frontotemporal dementia using cross-sectional data from the Genetic Frontotemporal dementia Initiative (GENFI), a longitudinal cohort study. Two-hundred and seventy-five presymptomatic and 127 symptomatic carriers of mutations in GRN, C9orf72 or MAPT, as well as 247 non-carriers, were selected from the GENFI cohort based on availability of one or more of the aforementioned biomarkers. Nine presymptomatic carriers developed symptoms within 18 months of sample collection ('converters'). Sequences of biomarker abnormalities were modelled for the entire group using discriminative event-based modelling (DEBM) and for each genetic subgroup using co-initialized DEBM. These models estimate probabilistic biomarker abnormalities in a data-driven way and do not rely on previous diagnostic information or biomarker cut-off points. Using cross-validation, subjects were subsequently assigned a disease stage based on their position along the disease progression timeline. CSF NPTX2 was the first biomarker to become abnormal, followed by blood and CSF neurofilament light chain, blood phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain, blood glial fibrillary acidic protein and finally CSF C3b and C1q. Biomarker orderings did not differ significantly between genetic subgroups, but more uncertainty was noted in the C9orf72 and MAPT groups than for GRN. Estimated disease stages could distinguish symptomatic from presymptomatic carriers and non-carriers with areas under the curve of 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.80-0.89) and 0.90 (0.86-0.94) respectively. The areas under the curve to distinguish converters from non-converting presymptomatic carriers was 0.85 (0.75-0.95). Our data-driven model of genetic frontotemporal dementia revealed that NPTX2 and neurofilament light chain are the earliest to change among the selected biomarkers. Further research should investigate their utility as candidate selection tools for pharmaceutical trials. The model's ability to accurately estimate individual disease stages could improve patient stratification and track the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emma L van der Ende
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Esther E Bron
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jackie M Poos
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lize C Jiskoot
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jessica L Panman
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Janne M Papma
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lieke H Meeter
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Elise G P Dopper
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Carlo Wilke
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Matthis Synofzik
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Carolin Heller
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, UK
| | - Imogen J Swift
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, UK
| | - Aitana Sogorb-Esteve
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, UK
| | - Arabella Bouzigues
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, UK
| | - Barbara Borroni
- Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy
| | - Raquel Sanchez-Valle
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fermin Moreno
- Cognitive Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Donostia University Hospital, San Sebastian, 20014 Gipuzkoa, Spain
- Neuroscience Area, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Caroline Graff
- Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Bioclinicum, Karolinska Institutet, 17176 Solna, Sweden
- Unit for Hereditary Dementias, Theme Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Solna, Sweden
| | - Robert Laforce
- Clinique Interdisciplinaire de Mémoire, Département des Sciences Neurologiques, CHU de Québec, Université Laval, G1Z 1J4 Québec, Canada
| | - Daniela Galimberti
- Centro Dino Ferrari, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Masellis
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, ON M4N 3M5 Toronto, Canada
| | - Maria Carmela Tartaglia
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, M5S 1A8 Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Finger
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, ON N6A 3K7 London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rik Vandenberghe
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - James B Rowe
- Cambridge University Centre for Frontotemporal Dementia, University of Cambridge, CB2 0SZ Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Isabel Santana
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Simon Ducharme
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, 3801 Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Christopher R Butler
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, OX3 9DU Oxford, UK
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ London, UK
| | - Alexander Gerhard
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, University of Manchester, M20 3LJ Manchester, UK
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Geriatric Medicine, University Hospital Essen, 45 147 Essen, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Adrian Danek
- Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Yolande A L Pijnenburg
- Department of Neurology, Alzheimer Center, Location VU University Medical Center Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Center, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sandro Sorbi
- Department of Neurofarba, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Wiro J Niessen
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, UK
| | - Stefan Klein
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - John C van Swieten
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vikram Venkatraghavan
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Harro Seelaar
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Shi J, Qin X, Chang X, Wang H, Guo J, Zhang W. Neurofilament markers in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Cell Mol Med 2021; 26:583-587. [PMID: 34866307 PMCID: PMC8743649 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.17100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aims to determine the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of neurofilament light chain (NFL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNFH) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, and to explore their feasibility as valid biomarkers for quantifying disease progression and predicting individual prognosis. 52 patients with ALS and 30 controls with noninflammatory neurological diseases were included. NFL and pNFH levels in serum and CSF were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Our findings showed that serum and CSF levels of NFL and pNFH in ALS patients were significantly increased. These values were negatively correlated with disease duration (except CSF NFL with disease duration) and ALSFRS‐r score, and positively correlated with disease progression rate (DPR) and upper motor neuron (UMN) score, but did not correlate with bilateral median and ulnar nerve compound muscle action potential (cMAP) amplitudes (except a weak correlation between CSF NFL and cMAP amplitudes). The optimal cut‐off values with high sensitivity and specificity were obtained in ROC curve analysis to discriminate ALS from controls. Kaplan‐Meier survival curves illustrated that survival was significantly shorter for patients with higher neurofilament levels at diagnosis. The Cox proportional hazards regressions confirmed that NFL and pNFH were significant predictors of survival. Overall, NFL and pNFH in serum and CSF can be used as reliable biomarkers in ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Shi
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Xiaohui Qin
- Department of Encephalopathy, Changzhi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changzhi, China
| | - Xueli Chang
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Junhong Guo
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Brylev L, Fominykh V, Chernenkaia V, Chernenkiy I, Gorbachev K, Ataulina A, Izvekov A, Monakhov M, Olenichev A, Orlov S, Turin I, Loginov M, Rautbart S, Baymukanov A, Parshikov V, Demeshonok V, Yakovlev A, Druzhkova T, Guekht A, Gulyaeva N. Stress load and neurodegeneration after gastrostomy tube placement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. Metab Brain Dis 2021; 36:2473-2482. [PMID: 34559375 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-021-00837-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Dysphagia and progressive swallowing problems due to motoneuron death is one of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) symptoms. Malnutrition and body weight loss result in immunological disturbances, fatigability and increase risk of secondary complications in ALS patients, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG) placement representing a well-recognized method for malnutrition correction and potentially increasing life expectancy. However, despite nutritional correction, occasional rapid neurological deterioration may develop after PEG placement. We have hypothesized that this decline can be a result of exteroceptive stress during PEG placement and promote neurodegeneration in ALS patients. Intravenous sedation may decrease stress during invasive procedures and it is safe during PEG placement in ALS patients. The aim of the study was comparing different PEG placement protocols of anesthesia (local anesthesia or local anesthesia plus intravenous sedation) in ALS from perspectives of stress load and neurological deterioration profile. During 1.5 years 94 ALS patients were admitted; gastrostomy was performed in 79 patients. After screening according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 30 patients were included in the prospective consecutive study. All patients were divided in two groups, with local anesthesia and with combination of local anesthesia and intravenous sedation. Routine biochemical indices, neurodegeneration and stress markers were measured. The age of ALS patients was 61 ± 10 years; 20 patients were included at stage 4A and 10 at stage 4B (King's College staging). PEG was placed at average14 months after the diagnosis and 2.2 years after first symptoms. Mean ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised was 27.8, mean forced vital capacity of lung 46.3% (19-91%). After one year of observation only 8 patients survived. Mean life duration after PEG was 5 months (5 days-20 months). Comparison of two PEG placement protocols did not reveal differences in survival time, stress load and inflammation level. Higher saliva cortisol levels, serum cortisol, glucose, C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 were detected after PEG placement, confirming considerable stress response. PEG is a stressful factor for ALS patients, PEG placement representing a natural model of exteroceptive stress. Stress response was detected as increased cortisol, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and glucose levels. Intravenous sedation did not increase the risk of PEG placement procedure, however, sedation protocol did not affect stress load.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L Brylev
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, Moscow, Russia
- "Live Now" Charity Foundation for supporting people with ALS and other neuromuscular disorders, Moscow, Russia
| | - V Fominykh
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia.
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Moscow, Russia.
| | - V Chernenkaia
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - I Chernenkiy
- Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - K Gorbachev
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - A Ataulina
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - A Izvekov
- Mukhin Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - M Monakhov
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - A Olenichev
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - S Orlov
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - I Turin
- Moscow City Clinical Hospital №40, Moscow, Russia
| | - M Loginov
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - S Rautbart
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - A Baymukanov
- Bujanov Moscow City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia
| | - V Parshikov
- "Live Now" Charity Foundation for supporting people with ALS and other neuromuscular disorders, Moscow, Russia
| | - V Demeshonok
- "Live Now" Charity Foundation for supporting people with ALS and other neuromuscular disorders, Moscow, Russia
| | - A Yakovlev
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, Moscow, Russia
| | - T Druzhkova
- Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, Moscow, Russia
| | - A Guekht
- Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, Moscow, Russia
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - N Gulyaeva
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
CSF Heavy Neurofilament May Discriminate and Predict Motor Neuron Diseases with Upper Motor Neuron Involvement. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9111623. [PMID: 34829852 PMCID: PMC8615649 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9111623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: To assess whether phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH) can discriminate different upper motor neuron (UMN) syndromes, namely, ALS, UMN-predominant ALS, primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) and hereditary spastic paraparesis (hSP) and to test the prognostic value of pNfH in UMN diseases. Methods: CSF and serum pNfH were measured in 143 patients presenting with signs of UMN and later diagnosed with classic/bulbar ALS, UMNp-ALS, hSP, and PLS. Between-group comparisons were drawn by ANOVA and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed. The prognostic value of pNfH was tested by the Cox regression model. Results: ALS and UMNp-ALS patients had higher CSF pNfH compared to PLS and hSP (p < 0.001). ROC analysis showed that CSF pNfH could differentiate ALS, UMNp-ALS included, from PLS and hSP (AUC = 0.75 and 0.95, respectively), while serum did not perform as well. In multivariable survival analysis among the totality of UMN patients and classic/bulbar ALS, CSF pNfH independently predicted survival. Among UMNp-ALS patients, only the progression rate (HR4.71, p = 0.01) and presence of multifocal fasciculations (HR 15.69, p = 0.02) were independent prognostic factors. Conclusions: CSF pNfH is significantly higher in classic and UMNp-ALS compared to UMN diseases with a better prognosis such as PLS and hSP. Its prognostic role is confirmed in classic and bulbar ALS, but not among UMNp, where clinical signs remained the only independent prognostic factors.
Collapse
|
20
|
Magen I, Yacovzada NS, Yanowski E, Coenen-Stass A, Grosskreutz J, Lu CH, Greensmith L, Malaspina A, Fratta P, Hornstein E. Circulating miR-181 is a prognostic biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:1534-1541. [PMID: 34711961 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00936-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a relentless neurodegenerative disease of the human motor neuron system, where variability in progression rate limits clinical trial efficacy. Therefore, better prognostication will facilitate therapeutic progress. In this study, we investigated the potential of plasma cell-free microRNAs (miRNAs) as ALS prognostication biomarkers in 252 patients with detailed clinical phenotyping. First, we identified, in a longitudinal cohort, miRNAs whose plasma levels remain stable over the course of disease. Next, we showed that high levels of miR-181, a miRNA enriched in neurons, predicts a greater than two-fold risk of death in independent discovery and replication cohorts (126 and 122 patients, respectively). miR-181 performance is similar to neurofilament light chain (NfL), and when combined together, miR-181 + NfL establish a novel RNA-protein biomarker pair with superior prognostication capacity. Therefore, plasma miR-181 alone and a novel miRNA-protein biomarker approach, based on miR-181 + NfL, boost precision of patient stratification. miR-181-based ALS biomarkers encourage additional validation and might enhance the power of clinical trials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iddo Magen
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.,Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Nancy Sarah Yacovzada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.,Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eran Yanowski
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.,Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Anna Coenen-Stass
- Translational Medicine, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.,Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.,UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Julian Grosskreutz
- Precision Neurology, Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center for Healthy Aging, Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Ching-Hua Lu
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.,UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.,Neurology, School of Medicine, China Medical University and Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.,ALS Biomarkers Study, University College London, London, UK
| | - Linda Greensmith
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.,UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.,ALS Biomarkers Study, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK. .,UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK. .,Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK. .,ALS Biomarkers Study, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Pietro Fratta
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK. .,UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK. .,ALS Biomarkers Study, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Eran Hornstein
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. .,Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Amor S, Nutma E, Marzin M, Puentes F. Imaging immunological processes from blood to brain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Clin Exp Immunol 2021; 206:301-313. [PMID: 34510431 PMCID: PMC8561688 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathology studies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and animal models of ALS reveal a strong association between aberrant protein accumulation and motor neurone damage, as well as activated microglia and astrocytes. While the role of neuroinflammation in the pathology of ALS is unclear, imaging studies of the central nervous system (CNS) support the idea that innate immune activation occurs early in disease in both humans and rodent models of ALS. In addition, emerging studies also reveal changes in monocytes, macrophages and lymphocytes in peripheral blood as well as at the neuromuscular junction. To more clearly understand the association of neuroinflammation (innate and adaptive) with disease progression, the use of biomarkers and imaging modalities allow monitoring of immune parameters in the disease process. Such approaches are important for patient stratification, selection and inclusion in clinical trials, as well as to provide readouts of response to therapy. Here, we discuss the different imaging modalities, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and positron emission tomography as well as other approaches, including biomarkers of inflammation in ALS, that aid the understanding of the underlying immune mechanisms associated with motor neurone degeneration in ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Amor
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Department of Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Erik Nutma
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Manuel Marzin
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Fabiola Puentes
- Department of Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Pasetto L, Callegaro S, Corbelli A, Fiordaliso F, Ferrara D, Brunelli L, Sestito G, Pastorelli R, Bianchi E, Cretich M, Chiari M, Potrich C, Moglia C, Corbo M, Sorarù G, Lunetta C, Calvo A, Chiò A, Mora G, Pennuto M, Quattrone A, Rinaldi F, D'Agostino VG, Basso M, Bonetto V. Decoding distinctive features of plasma extracellular vesicles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Mol Neurodegener 2021; 16:52. [PMID: 34376243 PMCID: PMC8353748 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-021-00470-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multifactorial, multisystem motor neuron disease for which currently there is no effective treatment. There is an urgent need to identify biomarkers to tackle the disease's complexity and help in early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanostructures released by any cell type into body fluids. Their biophysical and biochemical characteristics vary with the parent cell's physiological and pathological state and make them an attractive source of multidimensional data for patient classification and stratification. METHODS We analyzed plasma-derived EVs of ALS patients (n = 106) and controls (n = 96), and SOD1G93A and TDP-43Q331K mouse models of ALS. We purified plasma EVs by nickel-based isolation, characterized their EV size distribution and morphology respectively by nanotracking analysis and transmission electron microscopy, and analyzed EV markers and protein cargos by Western blot and proteomics. We used machine learning techniques to predict diagnosis and prognosis. RESULTS Our procedure resulted in high-yield isolation of intact and polydisperse plasma EVs, with minimal lipoprotein contamination. EVs in the plasma of ALS patients and the two mouse models of ALS had a distinctive size distribution and lower HSP90 levels compared to the controls. In terms of disease progression, the levels of cyclophilin A with the EV size distribution distinguished fast and slow disease progressors, a possibly new means for patient stratification. Immuno-electron microscopy also suggested that phosphorylated TDP-43 is not an intravesicular cargo of plasma-derived EVs. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis unmasked features in plasma EVs of ALS patients with potential straightforward clinical application. We conceived an innovative mathematical model based on machine learning which, by integrating EV size distribution data with protein cargoes, gave very high prediction rates for disease diagnosis and prognosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pasetto
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Callegaro
- Department of Mathematics "Tullio Levi-Civita", University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Fiordaliso
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Deborah Ferrara
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Laura Brunelli
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanna Sestito
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Elisa Bianchi
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Marina Cretich
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" (SCITEC-CNR), Milan, Italy
| | - Marcella Chiari
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" (SCITEC-CNR), Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Potrich
- Centre for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy.,Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Trento, Italy
| | - Cristina Moglia
- 'Rita Levi Montalcini' Department of Neuroscience, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Massimo Corbo
- Department of Neurorehabilitation Sciences, Casa Cura Policlinico (CCP), Milan, Italy
| | - Gianni Sorarù
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, 35122, Padova, Italy
| | - Christian Lunetta
- NEuroMuscular Omnicentre (NEMO), Serena Onlus Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Calvo
- 'Rita Levi Montalcini' Department of Neuroscience, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Adriano Chiò
- 'Rita Levi Montalcini' Department of Neuroscience, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Gabriele Mora
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, ICS Maugeri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Pennuto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences (DBS), University of Padova, 35131, Padova, Italy.,Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), 35129, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Quattrone
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Francesco Rinaldi
- Department of Mathematics "Tullio Levi-Civita", University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Vito Giuseppe D'Agostino
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Manuela Basso
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy. .,Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
| | - Valentina Bonetto
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Puentes F, Lombardi V, Lu CH, Yildiz O, Fratta P, Isaacs A, Bobeva Y, Wuu J, Benatar M, Malaspina A. Humoral response to neurofilaments and dipeptide repeats in ALS progression. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2021; 8:1831-1844. [PMID: 34318620 PMCID: PMC8419401 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To appraise the utility as biomarkers of blood antibodies and immune complexes to neurofilaments and dipeptide repeat proteins, the products of translation of the most common genetic mutation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods Antibodies and immune complexes against neurofilament light, medium, heavy chains as well as poly‐(GP)‐(GR) dipeptide repeats were measured in blood samples from the ALS Biomarkers (n = 107) and the phenotype–genotype biomarker (n = 129) studies and in 140 healthy controls. Target analyte levels were studied longitudinally in 37 ALS cases. Participants were stratified according to the rate of disease progression estimated before and after baseline and C9orf72 genetic status. Survival and longitudinal analyses were undertaken with reference to matched neurofilament protein expression. Results Compared to healthy controls, total neurofilament proteins and antibodies, neurofilament light immune complexes (p < 0.0001), and neurofilament heavy antibodies (p = 0.0061) were significantly elevated in ALS, patients with faster progressing disease (p < 0.0001) and in ALS cases with a C9orf72 mutation (p < 0.0003). Blood neurofilament light protein discriminated better ALS from healthy controls (AUC: 0.92; p < 0.0001) and faster from slower progressing ALS (AUC: 0.86; p < 0.0001) compared to heavy‐chain antibodies and light‐chain immune complexes (AUC: 0.79; p < 0.0001 and AUC: 0.74; p < 0.0001). Lower neurofilament heavy antibodies were associated with longer survival (Log‐rank Chi‐square: 7.39; p = 0.0065). Increasing levels of antibodies and immune complexes between time points were observed in faster progressing ALS. Conclusions We report a distinctive humoral response characterized by raising antibodies against neurofilaments and dipeptide repeats in faster progressing and C9orf72 genetic mutation carriers ALS patients. We confirm the significance of plasma neurofilament proteins in the clinical stratification of ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola Puentes
- Neurodegeneration Group, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 2AT, United Kingdom.,Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Vittoria Lombardi
- Neurodegeneration Group, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 2AT, United Kingdom.,Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Ching-Hua Lu
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.,School of Medicine, China Medical University, 91 Xueshi Road, North District, Taichung City, 404, Taiwan
| | - Ozlem Yildiz
- Neurodegeneration Group, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 2AT, United Kingdom.,Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Pietro Fratta
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian Isaacs
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Yoana Bobeva
- Neurodegeneration Group, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 2AT, United Kingdom.,Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne Wuu
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
| | -
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | -
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Michael Benatar
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- Neurodegeneration Group, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 2AT, United Kingdom.,Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Adiutori R, Puentes F, Bremang M, Lombardi V, Zubiri I, Leoni E, Aarum J, Sheer D, McArthur S, Pike I, Malaspina A. Analysis of circulating protein aggregates as a route of investigation into neurodegenerative disorders. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab148. [PMID: 34396108 PMCID: PMC8361415 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasma proteome composition reflects the inflammatory and metabolic state of the organism and can be predictive of system-level and organ-specific pathologies. Circulating protein aggregates are enriched with neurofilament heavy chain-axonal proteins involved in brain aggregate formation and recently identified as biomarkers of the fatal neuromuscular disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Using unbiased proteomic methods, we have fully characterized the content in neuronal proteins of circulating protein aggregates from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and healthy controls, with reference to brain protein aggregate composition. We also investigated circulating protein aggregate protein aggregation propensity, stability to proteolytic digestion and toxicity for neuronal and endothelial cell lines. Circulating protein aggregates separated by ultracentrifugation are visible as electron-dense macromolecular particles appearing as either large globular or as small filamentous formations. Analysis by mass spectrometry revealed that circulating protein aggregates obtained from patients are enriched with proteins involved in the proteasome system, possibly reflecting the underlying basis of dysregulated proteostasis seen in the disease, while those from healthy controls show enrichment of proteins involved in metabolism. Compared to the whole human proteome, proteins within circulating protein aggregates and brain aggregates show distinct chemical features of aggregation propensity, which appear dependent on the tissue or fluid of origin and not on the health status. Neurofilaments' two high-mass isoforms (460 and 268 kDa) showed a strong differential expression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis compared to healthy control circulating protein aggregates, while aggregated neurofilament heavy chain was also partially resistant to enterokinase proteolysis in patients, demonstrated by immunoreactive bands at 171 and 31 kDa fragments not seen in digested healthy controls samples. Unbiased proteomics revealed that a total of 4973 proteins were commonly detected in circulating protein aggregates and brain, including 24 expressed from genes associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Interestingly, 285 circulating protein aggregate proteins (5.7%) were regulated (P < 0.05) and are present in biochemical pathways linked to disease pathogenesis and protein aggregation. Biologically, circulating protein aggregates from both patients and healthy controls had a more pronounced effect on the viability of hCMEC/D3 endothelial and PC12 neuronal cells compared to immunoglobulins extracted from the same plasma samples. Furthermore, circulating protein aggregates from patients exerted a more toxic effect than healthy control circulating protein aggregates on both cell lines at lower concentrations (P: 0.03, in both cases). This study demonstrates that circulating protein aggregates are significantly enriched with brain proteins which are representative of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathology and a potential source of biomarkers and therapeutic targets for this incurable disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rocco Adiutori
- Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK
| | - Fabiola Puentes
- Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK
| | - Michael Bremang
- Proteome Sciences R&D GmbH & Co. KG, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany
| | - Vittoria Lombardi
- Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK
| | - Irene Zubiri
- Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK
| | - Emanuela Leoni
- Proteome Sciences R&D GmbH & Co. KG, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany
| | - Johan Aarum
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 171 76, Sweden
| | - Denise Sheer
- Centre for Genomics and Child Health, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK
| | - Simon McArthur
- Institute of Dentistry, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK
| | - Ian Pike
- Proteome Sciences plc, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BB, UK
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Nishimura AL, Arias N. Synaptopathy Mechanisms in ALS Caused by C9orf72 Repeat Expansion. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:660693. [PMID: 34140881 PMCID: PMC8203826 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.660693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a complex neurodegenerative disease caused by degeneration of motor neurons (MNs). ALS pathogenic features include accumulation of misfolded proteins, glutamate excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction at distal axon terminals, and neuronal cytoskeleton changes. Synergies between loss of C9orf72 functions and gain of function by toxic effects of repeat expansions also contribute to C9orf72-mediated pathogenesis. However, the impact of haploinsufficiency of C9orf72 on neurons and in synaptic functions requires further examination. As the motor neurons degenerate, the disease symptoms will lead to neurotransmission deficiencies in the brain, spinal cord, and neuromuscular junction. Altered neuronal excitability, synaptic morphological changes, and C9orf72 protein and DPR localization at the synapses, suggest a potential involvement of C9orf72 at synapses. In this review article, we provide a conceptual framework for assessing the putative involvement of C9orf72 as a synaptopathy, and we explore the underlying and common disease mechanisms with other neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, we reflect on the major challenges of understanding C9orf72-ALS as a synaptopathy focusing on integrating mitochondrial and neuronal cytoskeleton degeneration as biomarkers and potential targets to treat ALS neurodegeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agnes L Nishimura
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, UK Dementia Research Institute, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Natalia Arias
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, UK Dementia Research Institute, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,INEUROPA, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Neurofilaments as Emerging Biomarkers of Neuroaxonal Damage to Differentiate Behavioral Frontotemporal Dementia from Primary Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11050754. [PMID: 33922390 PMCID: PMC8146697 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11050754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a clinical syndrome resulting from various causes of neuronal demises associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Symptoms include behavioral and personality changes, social cognitive impairment, and executive function deficits. There is a significant clinical overlap between this syndrome and various primary psychiatric disorders (PPD). Structural and functional neuroimaging are considered helpful to support the diagnosis of bvFTD, but their sensitivity and specificity remain imperfect. There is growing evidence concerning the potential of neurofilaments as biomarkers reflecting axonal and neuronal lesions. Ultrasensitive analytic platforms have recently enabled neurofilament light chains’ (NfL) detection not only from cerebrospinal fluid but also from peripheral blood samples in FTD patients. In this short review, we present recent advances and perspectives for the use of NfL assessments as biomarkers of neuroaxonal damage to differentiate bvFTD from primary psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
|
27
|
Spicer C, Lu CH, Catapano F, Scoto M, Zaharieva I, Malaspina A, Morgan JE, Greensmith L, Muntoni F, Zhou H. The altered expression of neurofilament in mouse models and patients with spinal muscular atrophy. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2021; 8:866-876. [PMID: 33683023 PMCID: PMC8045929 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives To investigate the levels of neurofilaments (NFs) in transgenic mice and patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and to evaluate their efficacy as a biomarker in SMA. Methods The levels of NF mRNA transcripts were measured by quantitative real‐time PCR in spinal cord from SMA mice. Blood levels of NF heavy chain (NfH) from mice and patients were measured by an in‐house ELISA method. The response of NFs to therapeutic intervention was analysed in severe SMA mice treated with morpholino antisense oligonucleotides. Results Significant changes in NF transcript and protein in spinal cord and protein levels in blood were detected in SMA mice with severe or mild phenotypes, at different time points. A decrease in blood levels of NfH after antisense oligonucleotide treatment was only transient in the mice, despite the persistent benefit on the disease phenotype. A drastic reduction of over 90% in blood levels of NfF was observed in both control and SMA mice during early postnatal development. In contrast, blood levels of NfH were found to be decreased in older SMA children with chronic disease progression. Interpretation Our results show that blood NfH levels are informative in indicating disease onset and response to antisense oligonucleotides treatment in SMA mice, and indicate their potential as a peripheral marker reflecting the pathological status in central nervous system. In older patients with chronic SMA, however, the lower NfH levels may limit their application as biomarker, highlighting the need to continue to pursue additional biomarkers for this group of patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Spicer
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ching-Hua Lu
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Trauma and Neuroscience Centre, Blizard Institute, Barts and The School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.,Neurology, School of Medicine, China Medical University and Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Francesco Catapano
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mariacristina Scoto
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, United Kingdom
| | - Irina Zaharieva
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Trauma and Neuroscience Centre, Blizard Institute, Barts and The School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer E Morgan
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, United Kingdom
| | - Linda Greensmith
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Muntoni
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, United Kingdom.,NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Haiyan Zhou
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, London, United Kingdom.,Genetics and Genomic Medicine Teaching and Research Department, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Zucchi E, Bonetto V, Sorarù G, Martinelli I, Parchi P, Liguori R, Mandrioli J. Neurofilaments in motor neuron disorders: towards promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Mol Neurodegener 2020; 15:58. [PMID: 33059698 PMCID: PMC7559190 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-020-00406-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are etiologically and biologically heterogeneous diseases. The pathobiology of motor neuron degeneration is still largely unknown, and no effective therapy is available. Heterogeneity and lack of specific disease biomarkers have been appointed as leading reasons for past clinical trial failure, and biomarker discovery is pivotal in today's MND research agenda.In the last decade, neurofilaments (NFs) have emerged as promising biomarkers for the clinical assessment of neurodegeneration. NFs are scaffolding proteins with predominant structural functions contributing to the axonal cytoskeleton of myelinated axons. NFs are released in CSF and peripheral blood as a consequence of axonal degeneration, irrespective of the primary causal event. Due to the current availability of highly-sensitive automated technologies capable of precisely quantify proteins in biofluids in the femtomolar range, it is now possible to reliably measure NFs not only in CSF but also in blood.In this review, we will discuss how NFs are impacting research and clinical management in ALS and other MNDs. Besides contributing to the diagnosis at early stages by differentiating between MNDs with different clinical evolution and severity, NFs may provide a useful tool for the early enrolment of patients in clinical trials. Due to their stability across the disease, NFs convey prognostic information and, on a larger scale, help to stratify patients in homogenous groups. Shortcomings of NFs assessment in biofluids will also be discussed according to the available literature in the attempt to predict the most appropriate use of the biomarker in the MND clinic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Zucchi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Valentina Bonetto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianni Sorarù
- Neuromuscular Center, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.,Clinica Neurologica, Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Ilaria Martinelli
- Department of Neurosciences, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Piero Parchi
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche, Ospedale Bellaria, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Rocco Liguori
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche, Ospedale Bellaria, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Jessica Mandrioli
- Department of Neurosciences, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Modena, Modena, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Lee Y, Lee BH, Yip W, Chou P, Yip BS. Neurofilament Proteins as Prognostic Biomarkers in Neurological Disorders. Curr Pharm Des 2020; 25:4560-4569. [PMID: 31820696 DOI: 10.2174/1381612825666191210154535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Neurofilaments: light, medium, and heavy (abbreviated as NF-L, NF-M, and NF-H, respectively), which belong to Type IV intermediate filament family (IF), are neuron-specific cytoskeletal components. Neurofilaments are axonal structural components and integral components of synapses, which are important for neuronal electric signal transmissions along the axons and post-translational modification. Abnormal assembly of neurofilaments is found in several human neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), infantile spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and hereditary sensory-motor neuropathy (HSMN). In addition, those pathological neurofilament accumulations are known in α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease (PD), Aβ and tau in Alzheimer's disease (AD), polyglutamine in CAG trinucleotide repeat disorders, superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP43), neuronal FUS proteins, optineurin (OPTN), ubiquilin 2 (UBQLN2), and dipeptide repeat protein (DRP) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). When axon damage occurs in central nervous disorders, neurofilament proteins are released and delivered into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which are then circulated into blood. New quantitative analyses and assay techniques are well-developed for the detection of neurofilament proteins, particularly NF-L and the phosphorylated NF-H (pNF-H) in CSF and serum. This review discusses the potential of using peripheral blood NF quantities and evaluating the severity of damage in the nervous system. Intermediate filaments could be promising biomarkers for evaluating disease progression in different nervous system disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yichen Lee
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Hsinchu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan, China
| | - Bo H Lee
- Department of Geriatrics, Northern Beaches Hospital, Frenchs Forest New South Wales, Australia
| | - William Yip
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vacover, BC V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - Pingchen Chou
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Hsinchu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan, China
| | - Bak-Sau Yip
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Hsinchu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan, China.,Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Janse van Mantgem MR, van Eijk RPA, van der Burgh HK, Tan HHG, Westeneng HJ, van Es MA, Veldink JH, van den Berg LH. Prognostic value of weight loss in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a population-based study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2020; 91:867-875. [PMID: 32576612 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2020-322909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence and prognostic value of weight loss (WL) prior to diagnosis in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS We enrolled patients diagnosed with ALS between 2010 and 2018 in a population-based setting. At diagnosis, detailed information was obtained regarding the patient's disease characteristics, anthropological changes, ALS-related genotypes and cognitive functioning. Complete survival data were obtained. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between WL and the risk of death during follow-up. RESULTS The data set comprised 2420 patients of whom 67.5% reported WL at diagnosis. WL occurred in 71.8% of the bulbar-onset and in 64.2% of the spinal-onset patients; the mean loss of body weight was 6.9% (95% CI 6.8 to 6.9) and 5.5% (95% CI 5.5 to 5.6), respectively (p<0.001). WL occurred in 35.1% of the patients without any symptom of dysphagia. WL is a strong independent predictor of survival, with a dose response relationship between the amount of WL and the risk of death: the risk of death during follow-up increased by 23% for every 10% increase in WL relative to body weight (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.51, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS This population-based study shows that two-thirds of the patients with ALS have WL at diagnosis, which also occurs independent of dysphagia, and is related to survival. Our results suggest that WL is a multifactorial process that may differ from patient to patient. Gaining further insight in its underlying factors could prove essential for future therapeutic measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ruben P A van Eijk
- Neurology, University Medical Centre Utrecht Brain Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Biostatistics and Research Support, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Harold H G Tan
- Neurology, University Medical Centre Utrecht Brain Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Henk-Jan Westeneng
- Neurology, University Medical Centre Utrecht Brain Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Michael A van Es
- Neurology, University Medical Centre Utrecht Brain Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan H Veldink
- Neurology, University Medical Centre Utrecht Brain Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Chen PC, Wu D, Hu CJ, Chen HY, Hsieh YC, Huang CC. Exosomal TAR DNA-binding protein-43 and neurofilaments in plasma of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: A longitudinal follow-up study. J Neurol Sci 2020; 418:117070. [PMID: 32836016 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2020.117070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal motor neuron degenerative disease with characteristic of progressive general muscle weakness and atrophy. ALS is still lack of efficient treatment and laboratory biomarkers. In this study, we longitudinally examined ALS patients' peripheral blood to search potential biomarkers. 18 ALS patients aged between 20 and 65 years were recruited in a clinical trial and longitudinal plasma samples were obtained and analyzed at baseline, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months follow up. Neurofilament light chain (NFL), phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNFH) by ELISA and exosomal TAR DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43) ratio were measured by flow cytometry assay in isolated exosomes RESULTS: Exosomal TDP-43 ratio significantly changed in 3-month (increased 60.8 ± 18.9%, p = 0.0005) and 6-month (increased 60.2 ± 32.6%, p = 0.0291) follow-up and close to significance at 12-month follow-up (increased 12.8 ± 10.8%, p = 0.0524). When subclassifying patients into rapid and slow progression groups, NFL but not pNFH is significantly higher in the rapid progression group at baseline (22.74 ± 1.66 pg/mL vs. 43.96 ± 12.87 pg/mL, p = 0.0136) and at 3-month follow-up (28.40 ± 3.39 pg/mL vs. 40.33 ± 5.44 pg/mL, p = 0.0356). CONCLUSION In this study, we found exosomal TDP-43 ratio was increasing along with follow-up at 3 and 6 months and NFL levels in plasma was associated with rapid progression in ALS patients. In addition to NFL, exosomal TDP-43 ratio might be a potential candidate of biomarkers for ALS long-term follow-up studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Po-Chih Chen
- Neurology Department, Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Taipei Neuroscience Institute, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program for Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research Institutes, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Dean Wu
- Neurology Department, Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Taipei Neuroscience Institute, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chaur-Jong Hu
- Neurology Department, Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Taipei Neuroscience Institute, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program for Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research Institutes, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yi Chen
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Ph.D Program for Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chen Hsieh
- Ph.D. Program for Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research Institutes, Taipei, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program in Biotechnology Research and Development, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Master Program in Applied Molecular Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Chi-Chen Huang
- Ph.D. Program for Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research Institutes, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Neurotrauma and Neuroregeneration, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Mellinger AL, Griffith EH, Bereman MS. Peptide variability and signatures associated with disease progression in CSF collected longitudinally from ALS patients. Anal Bioanal Chem 2020; 412:5465-5475. [PMID: 32591871 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-020-02765-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
We employ shotgun proteomics and data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry to analyze cerebrospinal fluid longitudinally collected from 14 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients (8 males and 6 females). We perform three main analyses of these data: (1) examine the intra- and inter-patient protein variability in CSF; (2) explore the association of inflammation with rate of disease progression; and (3) develop a mixed-effects model to best explain the decrease in ALS-Functional Rating Scale (ALS-FRS) score. Overall, the CSF protein abundances are tightly regulated with the intra-individual variability contributing just 4% to the overall variance. In four patients, a moderately significant correlation (p < 0.1) was observed between inflammation and rate of disease progression. Using a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) variable selection, we selected 55 viable peptides for mathematical modeling via a linear mixed-effects regression. We then employed forward selection to generate a final model by minimizing Akaike's information criterion (AIC). The final model utilized changes in abundance from 28 peptides as fixed effects to model progression of the disease in these patients. These peptides were from proteins involved in stress response and innate immunity. Graphical abstract.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Allyson L Mellinger
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Emily H Griffith
- Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Michael S Bereman
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA. .,Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA. .,Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Bendotti C, Bonetto V, Pupillo E, Logroscino G, Al-Chalabi A, Lunetta C, Riva N, Mora G, Lauria G, Weishaupt JH, Agosta F, Malaspina A, Basso M, Greensmith L, Van Den Bosch L, Ratti A, Corbo M, Hardiman O, Chiò A, Silani V, Beghi E. Focus on the heterogeneity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2020; 21:485-495. [PMID: 32583689 DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2020.1779298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The clinical manifestations of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are variable in terms of age at disease onset, site of onset, progression of symptoms, motor neuron involvement, and the occurrence of cognitive and behavioral changes. Genetic background is a key determinant of the ALS phenotype. The mortality of the disease also varies with the ancestral origin of the affected population and environmental factors are likely to be associated with ALS at least within some cohorts. Disease heterogeneity is likely underpinned by the presence of different pathogenic mechanisms. A variety of ALS animal models can be informative about the heterogeneity of the neuropathological or genetic aspects of the disease and can support the development of new therapeutic intervention. Evolving biomarkers can contribute to the identification of differing genotypes and phenotypes, and can be used to explore whether genotypic and phenotypic differences in animal models might help to provide a better definition of the heterogeneity of ALS in humans. These include neurofilaments, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, extracellular vesicles, microRNA and imaging findings. These biomarkers might predict not only the development of the disease, but also the variability in progression, although robust validation is required. A promising area of progress in modeling the heterogeneity of human ALS is represented by the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs)-derived motor neurons. Although the translational value of iPSCs remains unclear, this model is attractive in the perspective of replicating the heterogeneity of sporadic ALS as a first step toward a personalized medicine strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Bendotti
- Mario Negri-ALS Study Group, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Valentina Bonetto
- Mario Negri-ALS Study Group, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Pupillo
- Mario Negri-ALS Study Group, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Logroscino
- Department of Neurosciences and Sense Organs, Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari; Fondazione Giovanni Panico Tricase, Lecce, Italy
| | - Ammar Al-Chalabi
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Christian Lunetta
- NEuroMuscular Omnicentre (NEMO), Serena Onlus Foundation, Milano, Italy
| | - Nilo Riva
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Gabriela Mora
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, ICS Maugeri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Lauria
- Unit of Neurology, Motor Neuron Disease Center, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico "Carlo Besta", Milan, Italy.,Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "Lduigi Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Federica Agosta
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Manuela Basso
- Mario Negri-ALS Study Group, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy.,Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), Università degli Studi di Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Linda Greensmith
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Ludo Van Den Bosch
- Center for Brain & Disease Research (VIB) and Laboratory of Neurobiology (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Antonia Ratti
- Department of Neurology - Stroke Unit and Laboratory of Neuroscience, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Milano, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Massimo Corbo
- Department of Neurorehabilitation Sciences, Casa Cura Policlinico (CCP), Milano, Italy
| | - Orla Hardiman
- Academic Unit of Neurology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Adriano Chiò
- "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Silani
- Department of Neurology - Stroke Unit and Laboratory of Neuroscience, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Milano, Italy.,Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, "Dino Ferrari" Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Ettore Beghi
- Mario Negri-ALS Study Group, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Banack SA, Dunlop RA, Cox PA. An miRNA fingerprint using neural-enriched extracellular vesicles from blood plasma: towards a biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease. Open Biol 2020; 10:200116. [PMID: 32574550 PMCID: PMC7333885 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease (ALS/MND) are currently not clinically available for disease diagnosis or analysis of disease progression. If identified, biomarkers could improve patient outcomes by enabling early intervention and assist in the determination of treatment efficacy. We hypothesized that neural-enriched extracellular vesicles could provide microRNA (miRNA) fingerprints with unequivocal signatures of neurodegeneration. Using blood plasma from ALS/MND patients and controls, we extracted neural-enriched extracellular vesicle fractions and conducted next-generation sequencing and qPCR of miRNA components of the transcriptome. We here report eight miRNA sequences which significantly distinguish ALS/MND patients from controls in a replicated experiment using a second cohort of patients and controls. miRNA sequences from patient blood samples using neural-enriched extracellular vesicles may yield unique insights into mechanisms of neurodegeneration and assist in early diagnosis of ALS/MND.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Anne Banack
- Brain Chemistry Labs, Institute for Ethnomedicine, PO Box 3464, Jackson, WY 83001, USA
| | - Rachael Anne Dunlop
- Brain Chemistry Labs, Institute for Ethnomedicine, PO Box 3464, Jackson, WY 83001, USA
| | - Paul Alan Cox
- Brain Chemistry Labs, Institute for Ethnomedicine, PO Box 3464, Jackson, WY 83001, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Benatar M, Zhang L, Wang L, Granit V, Statland J, Barohn R, Swenson A, Ravits J, Jackson C, Burns TM, Trivedi J, Pioro EP, Caress J, Katz J, McCauley JL, Rademakers R, Malaspina A, Ostrow LW, Wuu J. Validation of serum neurofilaments as prognostic and potential pharmacodynamic biomarkers for ALS. Neurology 2020; 95:e59-e69. [PMID: 32385188 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000009559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify preferred neurofilament assays and clinically validate serum neurofilament light (NfL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy (pNfH) as prognostic and potential pharmacodynamic biomarkers relevant to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) therapy development. METHODS In this prospective, multicenter, longitudinal observational study of patients with ALS (n = 229), primary lateral sclerosis (n = 20), and progressive muscular atrophy (n = 11), biological specimens were collected, processed, and stored according to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs). Neurofilament assays were performed in a blinded manner by independent contract research organizations. RESULTS For serum NfL and pNfH measured using the Simoa assay, there were no missing data (i.e., technical replicates below the lower limit of detection were not encountered). For the Iron Horse and Euroimmun pNfH assays, such missingness was encountered in ∼4% and ∼10% of serum samples, respectively. Mean coefficients of variation for NfL in serum and CSF were both ∼3%. Mean coefficients of variation for pNfH in serum and CSF were ∼4%-5% and ∼2%-3%, respectively, in all assays. Baseline serum NfL concentration, but not pNfH, predicted the future Revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) slope and survival. Incorporation of baseline serum NfL into mixed effects models of ALSFRS-R slopes yields an estimated sample size saving of ∼8%. Depending on the method used to estimate effect size, use of serum NfL (and perhaps pNfH) as pharmacodynamic biomarkers, instead of the ALSFRS-R slope, yields significantly larger sample size savings. CONCLUSIONS Serum NfL may be considered a clinically validated prognostic biomarker for ALS. Serum NfL (and perhaps pNfH), quantified using the Simoa assay, has potential utility as a pharmacodynamic biomarker of treatment effect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Benatar
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD.
| | - Lanyu Zhang
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Lily Wang
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Volkan Granit
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Jeffrey Statland
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Richard Barohn
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Andrea Swenson
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - John Ravits
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Carlayne Jackson
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Ted M Burns
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Jaya Trivedi
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Erik P Pioro
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - James Caress
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Jonathan Katz
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Jacob L McCauley
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Rosa Rademakers
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | - Lyle W Ostrow
- From Miller School of Medicine (M.B., L.Z., L.W., V.G., J.W.), University of Miami, FL; Kansas University Medical Center (J.S., R.B.), Kansas City; University of Iowa (A.S.), Iowa City; University of California San Diego (J.R.); University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (C.J.); University of Virginia (T.M.B.), Charlottesville; UT Southwestern Medical Center (J.T.), Dallas, TX; Cleveland Clinic (E.P.P.), OH; Wake Forest School of Medicine (J.C.), Winston-Salem, NC; California Pacific Medical Center (J.K.), San Francisco; John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (J.L.M.), Miami; Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (R.R.), FL; Blizard Institute (A.M.), Queen Mary University of London, UK; and Johns Hopkins University (L.W.O.), Baltimore, MD
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Falzone YM, Domi T, Agosta F, Pozzi L, Schito P, Fazio R, Del Carro U, Barbieri A, Comola M, Leocani L, Comi G, Carrera P, Filippi M, Quattrini A, Riva N. Serum phosphorylated neurofilament heavy-chain levels reflect phenotypic heterogeneity and are an independent predictor of survival in motor neuron disease. J Neurol 2020; 267:2272-2280. [PMID: 32306171 PMCID: PMC7166001 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-020-09838-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
To investigate the prognostic role and the major determinants of serum phosphorylated neurofilament heavy -chain (pNfH) concentration across a large cohort of motor neuron disease (MND) phenotypes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure serum pNfH concentration in 219 MND patients consecutively enrolled in our tertiary MND clinic. A multifactorial analysis was carried out to investigate the major clinical determinants of serum pNfH. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox regression analysis were performed to explore the prognostic value of serum pNfH. Serum pNfH levels were not homogenous among MND phenotypes; higher concentrations in pyramidal, bulbar, and classic phenotypes were observed. C9orf72-MND exhibited higher pNfH concentrations compared to non-C9orf72 MND. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed mean MEP/cMAP and disease progression rate as the two major predictors of serum pNfH levels (R2 = 0.188; p ≤ 0.001). Kaplan–Meier curves showed a significant difference of survival among MND subgroups when divided into quartiles based on pNfH concentrations, log-rank X2 = 53.0, p ≤ 0.0001. Our study evidenced that higher serum pNfH concentration is a negative independent prognostic factor for survival. In Cox multivariate model, pNfH concentration showed the highest hazard ratio compared to the other factors influencing survival included in the analysis. pNfH differs among the MND phenotypes and is an independent prognostic factor for survival. This study provides supporting evidence of the role of pNfH as useful prognostic biomarker for MND patients. Neurofilament measurements should be considered in the future prognostic models and in clinical trials for biomarker-based stratification, and to evaluate treatment response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Matteo Falzone
- Division of Neuroscience, Neuropathology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, via Olgettina 48, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Teuta Domi
- Division of Neuroscience, Neuropathology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, via Olgettina 48, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Agosta
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, Neuroimaging Research Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Pozzi
- Division of Neuroscience, Neuropathology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, via Olgettina 48, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Paride Schito
- Division of Neuroscience, Neuropathology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, via Olgettina 48, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaella Fazio
- Neurology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Ubaldo Del Carro
- Neurophysiology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Barbieri
- Neurology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Mauro Comola
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Letizia Leocani
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Comi
- Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Carrera
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, Unit of Genomics for Human Disease Diagnosis, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, Neuroimaging Research Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Neurophysiology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Angelo Quattrini
- Division of Neuroscience, Neuropathology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, via Olgettina 48, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Nilo Riva
- Division of Neuroscience, Neuropathology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, via Olgettina 48, 20132, Milan, Italy.
- Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
- Neurology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Vu L, An J, Kovalik T, Gendron T, Petrucelli L, Bowser R. Cross-sectional and longitudinal measures of chitinase proteins in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and expression of CHI3L1 in activated astrocytes. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2020; 91:350-358. [PMID: 31937582 PMCID: PMC7147184 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2019-321916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex disease with numerous pathological mechanisms resulting in a heterogeneous patient population. Using biomarkers for particular disease mechanisms may enrich a homogeneous subset of patients. In this study, we quantified chitotriosidase (Chit-1) and chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), markers of glial activation, in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma and determined the cell types that express CHI3L1 in ALS. METHODS Immunoassays were used to quantify Chit-1, CHI3L1 and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain levels in longitudinal CSF and matching plasma samples from 118 patients with ALS, 17 disease controls (DCs), and 24 healthy controls (HCs). Immunostaining was performed to identify and quantify CHI3L1-positive cells in tissue sections from ALS, DCs and non-neurological DCs. RESULTS CSF Chit-1 exhibited increased levels in ALS as compared with DCs and HCs. CSF CHI3L1 levels were increased in ALS and DCs compared with HCs. No quantitative differences were noted in plasma for either chitinase. Patients with ALS with fast-progressing disease exhibited higher levels of CSF Chit-1 and CHI3L1 than patients with slow-progressing disease. Increased numbers of CHI3L1-positive cells were observed in postmortem ALS motor cortex as compared with controls, and these cells were identified as a subset of activated astrocytes located predominately in the white matter of the motor cortex and the spinal cord. CONCLUSIONS CSF Chit-1 and CHI3L1 are significantly increased in ALS, and CSF Chit-1 and CHI3L1 levels correlate to the rate of disease progression. CHI3L1 is expressed by a subset of activated astrocytes predominately located in white matter.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Vu
- Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Jiyan An
- Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Tina Kovalik
- Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Tania Gendron
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | | | - Robert Bowser
- Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA .,Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Lombardi V, Bombaci A, Zampedri L, Lu CH, Malik B, Zetterberg H, Heslegrave AJ, Rinaldi C, Greensmith L, Hanna MG, Malaspina A, Fratta P. Plasma pNfH levels differentiate SBMA from ALS. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2020; 91:215-217. [PMID: 31575607 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2019-320624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessandro Bombaci
- Department of Neuroscience, ALS Center, University of Truin, Torino, Italy.,Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Luca Zampedri
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Ching-Hua Lu
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Bilal Malik
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Goteborgs Universitet, Goteborg, Sweden.,Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Carlo Rinaldi
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Linda Greensmith
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Michael G Hanna
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | | | - Pietro Fratta
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Goyal NA, Berry JD, Windebank A, Staff NP, Maragakis NJ, van den Berg LH, Genge A, Miller R, Baloh RH, Kern R, Gothelf Y, Lebovits C, Cudkowicz M. Addressing heterogeneity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis CLINICAL TRIALS. Muscle Nerve 2020; 62:156-166. [PMID: 31899540 PMCID: PMC7496557 DOI: 10.1002/mus.26801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder with complex biology and significant clinical heterogeneity. Many preclinical and early phase ALS clinical trials have yielded promising results that could not be replicated in larger phase 3 confirmatory trials. One reason for the lack of reproducibility may be ALS biological and clinical heterogeneity. Therefore, in this review, we explore sources of ALS heterogeneity that may reduce statistical power to evaluate efficacy in ALS trials. We also review efforts to manage clinical heterogeneity, including use of validated disease outcome measures, predictive biomarkers of disease progression, and individual clinical risk stratification. We propose that personalized prognostic models with use of predictive biomarkers may identify patients with ALS for whom a specific therapeutic strategy may be expected to be more successful. Finally, the rapid application of emerging clinical and biomarker strategies may reduce heterogeneity, increase trial efficiency, and, in turn, accelerate ALS drug development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - James D Berry
- Healey Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | | | | - Angela Genge
- Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Robert Miller
- California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California
| | - Robert H Baloh
- Robert H. Baloh, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, California, Los Angeles
| | - Ralph Kern
- Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics, New York, New York
| | - Yael Gothelf
- Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics, New York, New York
| | | | - Merit Cudkowicz
- Healey Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Gold J, Rowe DB, Kiernan MC, Vucic S, Mathers S, van Eijk RPA, Nath A, Garcia Montojo M, Norato G, Santamaria UA, Rogers ML, Malaspina A, Lombardi V, Mehta PR, Westeneng HJ, van den Berg LH, Al-Chalabi A. Safety and tolerability of Triumeq in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: the Lighthouse trial. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2019; 20:595-604. [PMID: 31284774 DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2019.1632899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background: Neuroinflammation and human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) are thought to have a role in the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Therapy directed against endogenous retroviruses has demonstrated positive effects during in vitro and biomarker studies. Consequently, the present study was undertaken to assess the safety and tolerability of long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART), Triumeq (abacavir, lamivudine, and dolutegravir) exposure in patients with ALS, and efficacy against biomarkers of disease progression. Methods: Patients were observed during a 10-week lead-in period before receiving Triumeq treatment for 24 weeks at four specialist ALS centers. The primary outcomes were safety and tolerability. Secondary outcomes included HERV-K expression levels, urinary p75ECD levels, neurophysiological parameters, and clinical indicators. The ENCALS prediction model was applied to provide an estimate of the cohort survival. The trial was registered (NCT02868580). Findings: 40 patients with ALS received Triumeq and 35 (88%) completed treatment. There were no drug-related serious adverse events; one patient was withdrawn from the study due to a drug-associated increase in liver enzymes. A favorable response on HERV-K expression levels was observed, accompanied by a decline in ALSFRS-R progression rate of 21.8% (95% CI -4.8%-48.6%) and the amount of urinary p75ECD measured. One patient died five months after stopping treatment, while five were expected to have died during the treatment period (interquartile range 2-8). Interpretation: Long-term Triumeq exposure was safe and well tolerated in this cohort. There was suggestive indication for a possible biological response in some pharmacodynamic and clinical biomarkers. A larger international phase 3 trial will be deployed to assess the effect of Triumeq on overall survival and disease progression. Funding: Funding was provided by the FightMND Foundation; MND Research Institute of Australia; MND Association, United Kingdom, and GSK. ViiV Healthcare provided the Triumeq.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julian Gold
- Prince of Wales Hospital, The Albion Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney , Australia
- King's College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience , London , United Kingdom
- Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London , London , United Kingdom
| | - Dominic B Rowe
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University , Sydney , Australia
| | - Matthew C Kiernan
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney and Department of Neurology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital , Sydney , Australia
| | - Steve Vucic
- Department of Neurology, Westmead Hospital , Sydney , Australia
| | - Susan Mathers
- Department of Neurology, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem , Melbourne , Australia
| | - Ruben P A van Eijk
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Utrecht , Utrecht , Netherlands
| | - Avindra Nath
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Section of Infections of the Nervous System , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Marta Garcia Montojo
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Section of Infections of the Nervous System , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Gina Norato
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Section of Infections of the Nervous System , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Ulisses A Santamaria
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Section of Infections of the Nervous System , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Mary-Louise Rogers
- Centre for Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide , Australia
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London , London , United Kingdom
| | - Vittoria Lombardi
- Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London , London , United Kingdom
| | - Puja R Mehta
- King's College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience , London , United Kingdom
| | - Henk-Jan Westeneng
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Utrecht , Utrecht , Netherlands
| | | | - Ammar Al-Chalabi
- King's College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience , London , United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
|
42
|
Thouvenot E, Demattei C, Lehmann S, Maceski‐Maleska A, Hirtz C, Juntas‐Morales R, Pageot N, Esselin F, Alphandéry S, Vincent T, Camu W. Serum neurofilament light chain at time of diagnosis is an independent prognostic factor of survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Eur J Neurol 2019; 27:251-257. [DOI: 10.1111/ene.14063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Thouvenot
- Service de Neurologie CHU Nîmes CNRS INSERM Univ Montpellier Nîmes France
| | - C. Demattei
- Département d'Information Médicale CHU Nîmes Univ Montpellier Nîmes France
| | - S. Lehmann
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Plateforme de Protéomique Clinique CHU Montpellier INSERM Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - A. Maceski‐Maleska
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Plateforme de Protéomique Clinique CHU Montpellier INSERM Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - C. Hirtz
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Plateforme de Protéomique Clinique CHU Montpellier INSERM Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - R. Juntas‐Morales
- Centre de référence SLA CHU Montpellier INSERM Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - N. Pageot
- Centre de référence SLA CHU Montpellier INSERM Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - F. Esselin
- Centre de référence SLA CHU Montpellier INSERM Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - S. Alphandéry
- Centre de référence SLA CHU Montpellier INSERM Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - T. Vincent
- Laboratoire d'Immunologie CHU Montpellier INSERM Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - W. Camu
- Centre de référence SLA CHU Montpellier INSERM Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid and Blood Neurofilaments in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Review of the Literature. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20174152. [PMID: 31450699 PMCID: PMC6747516 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20174152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder affecting upper and lower motor neurons (MNs) that still lacks an efficacious therapy. The failure of recent therapeutic trials in ALS, other than depending on the poor knowledge of pathogenic mechanisms responsible for MNs loss, is largely due to diagnostic delay and the lack of reliable biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and response to pharmacologic intervention. Neurofilaments (Nfs) are neuron-specific cytoskeletal proteins, whose levels increased in biological fluids proportionally to the degree of axonal damage, both in normal and in pathologic conditions, representing potential biomarkers in various neurological disorders, such as motor neuron disorder (MND). Growing evidence has shown that phosphorylated neurofilaments heavy chain (p-NfH) and neurofilaments light chain (NfL) are increased in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of ALS patients compared to healthy and neurological controls and are found to correlate with disease progression. In this review, we reported the most relevant studies investigating the diagnostic and prognostic role of Nfs in ALS. Given their reliability and reproducibility, we consider Nfs as promising and useful biomarkers in diagnosis of MND, early patient identification for inclusion in clinical trials, prediction of disease progression, and response to pharmacological intervention, and we suggest the validation of their measurement in clinical activity.
Collapse
|
44
|
Benatar M, Wuu J, Lombardi V, Jeromin A, Bowser R, Andersen PM, Malaspina A. Neurofilaments in pre-symptomatic ALS and the impact of genotype. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2019; 20:538-548. [PMID: 31432691 DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2019.1646769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Objective. To evaluate serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of phosphorylated neurofilament heavy (pNfH), and to compare these to levels of neurofilament light (NfL), as biomarkers of pre-symptomatic ALS. Design. The study population includes 34 controls, 79 individuals at-risk for ALS, 22 ALS patients, and 14 phenoconverters. At-risk individuals are enrolled through Pre-Symptomatic Familial ALS (Pre-fALS), a longitudinal natural history and biomarker study of individuals who are carriers of any ALS-associated gene mutation, but who demonstrate no clinical evidence of disease at the time of enrollment. pNfH and NfL in serum and CSF were quantified using established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results. There is a longitudinal increase in serum pNfH in advance of the emergence of clinically manifest ALS. A similar pattern is observed for NfL, but with the absolute levels also frequently exceeding a normative threshold. Although CSF data are more sparse, similar patterns are observed for both neurofilaments, with absolute levels exceeding a normative threshold prior to phenoconversion. In serum, these changes are observed in the 6-12 months prior to disease among SOD1 A4V mutation carriers, and as far back as 2 and 3.5 years, respectively, in individuals with a FUS c.521del6 mutation and a C9ORF72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion. Conclusions. Serum and CSF pNfH increase prior to phenoconversion. In CSF, the temporal course of these changes is similar to NfL. In serum, however, pNfH is less sensitive to pre-symptomatic disease than NfL. The duration of pre-symptomatic disease, as defined by changes in neurofilaments, may vary depending on underlying genotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Benatar
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami , Miami , FL , USA
| | - Joanne Wuu
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami , Miami , FL , USA
| | - Vittoria Lombardi
- Neuroscience Center, Blizard, Institute of Cell and Molecular Medicine, Barts & the London School of Medicine & Dentistry , London , UK
| | | | | | - Peter M Andersen
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University , Umeå , Sweden
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- Neuroscience Center, Blizard, Institute of Cell and Molecular Medicine, Barts & the London School of Medicine & Dentistry , London , UK
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Darras BT, Crawford TO, Finkel RS, Mercuri E, De Vivo DC, Oskoui M, Tizzano EF, Ryan MM, Muntoni F, Zhao G, Staropoli J, McCampbell A, Petrillo M, Stebbins C, Fradette S, Farwell W, Sumner CJ. Neurofilament as a potential biomarker for spinal muscular atrophy. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2019; 6:932-944. [PMID: 31139691 PMCID: PMC6530526 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To evaluate plasma phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNF‐H) as a biomarker in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Methods Levels of pNF‐H were measured using the ProteinSimple® platform in plasma samples from infants with SMA enrolled in ENDEAR (NCT02193074) and infants/children without neurological disease. Results Median pNF‐H plasma level was 167.0 pg/mL (7.46–7,030; n = 34) in children without SMA (aged 7 weeks–18 years) and was higher in those aged < 1 versus 1–18 years (P = 0.0002). In ENDEAR participants with infantile‐onset SMA, median baseline pNF‐H level (15,400 pg/mL; 2390–50,100; n = 117) was ~10‐fold higher than that of age‐matched infants without SMA (P < 0.0001) and ~90‐fold higher than children without SMA (P < 0.0001). Higher pretreatment pNF‐H levels in infants with SMA were associated with younger age at symptom onset, diagnosis, and first dose; lower baseline Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Infant Test of Neuromuscular Disorders score; and lower peroneal compound muscle potential amplitude. Nusinersen treatment was associated with a rapid and greater decline in pNF‐H levels: nusinersen‐treated infants experienced a steep 71.9% decline at 2 months to 90.1% decline at 10 months; sham control–treated infants declined steadily by 16.2% at 2 months and 60.3% at 10 months. Interpretation Plasma pNF‐H levels are elevated in infants with SMA. Levels inversely correlate with age at first dose and several markers of disease severity. Nusinersen treatment is associated with a significant decline in pNF‐H levels followed by relative stabilization. Together these data suggest plasma pNF‐H is a promising marker of disease activity/treatment response in infants with SMA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Basil T Darras
- Department of Neurology Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
| | - Thomas O Crawford
- Department of Neurology Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland.,Department of Pediatrics Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland
| | - Richard S Finkel
- Division of Neurology Department of Pediatrics Nemours Children's Hospital Orlando Florida
| | - Eugenio Mercuri
- Department of Paediatric Neurology Catholic University Rome Italy
| | - Darryl C De Vivo
- Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics Columbia University Irving Medical Center New York New York
| | - Maryam Oskoui
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Department of Pediatrics McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Eduardo F Tizzano
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Genetics and Rare Diseases Unit Hospital Vall d'Hebron and Centro de Investigacíon Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER) Barcelona Spain
| | - Monique M Ryan
- Royal Children's Hospital Murdoch Children's Research Institute and University of Melbourne Melbourne Australia
| | - Francesco Muntoni
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre University College London London United Kingdom.,NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre London United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Charlotte J Sumner
- Department of Neurology Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland.,Department of Neuroscience Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Chipika RH, Finegan E, Li Hi Shing S, Hardiman O, Bede P. Tracking a Fast-Moving Disease: Longitudinal Markers, Monitoring, and Clinical Trial Endpoints in ALS. Front Neurol 2019; 10:229. [PMID: 30941088 PMCID: PMC6433752 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) encompasses a heterogeneous group of phenotypes with different progression rates, varying degree of extra-motor involvement and divergent progression patterns. The natural history of ALS is increasingly evaluated by large, multi-time point longitudinal studies, many of which now incorporate presymptomatic and post-mortem assessments. These studies not only have the potential to characterize patterns of anatomical propagation, molecular mechanisms of disease spread, but also to identify pragmatic monitoring markers. Sensitive markers of progressive neurodegenerative change are indispensable for clinical trials and individualized patient care. Biofluid markers, neuroimaging indices, electrophysiological markers, rating scales, questionnaires, and other disease-specific instruments have divergent sensitivity profiles. The discussion of candidate monitoring markers in ALS has a dual academic and clinical relevance, and is particularly timely given the increasing number of pharmacological trials. The objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive and critical review of longitudinal studies in ALS, focusing on the sensitivity profile of established and emerging monitoring markers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Eoin Finegan
- Computational Neuroimaging Group, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Stacey Li Hi Shing
- Computational Neuroimaging Group, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Orla Hardiman
- Computational Neuroimaging Group, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Peter Bede
- Computational Neuroimaging Group, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Mitropoulos K, Katsila T, Patrinos GP, Pampalakis G. Multi-Omics for Biomarker Discovery and Target Validation in Biofluids for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Diagnosis. OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2019; 22:52-64. [PMID: 29356625 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2017.0183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare but usually fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor neuron degeneration in the brain and the spinal cord. Two forms are recognized, the familial that accounts for 5-10% and the sporadic that accounts for the rest. New studies suggest that ALS is a highly heterogeneous disease, and this diversity is a major reason for the lack of successful therapeutic treatments. Indeed, only two drugs (riluzole and edaravone) have been approved that provide a limited improvement in the quality of life. Presently, the diagnosis of ALS is based on clinical examination and lag period from the onset of symptoms to the final diagnosis is ∼12 months. Therefore, the discovery of robust molecular biomarkers that can assist in the diagnosis is of major importance. DNA sequencing to identify pathogenic gene variants can be applied in the cases of familial ALS. However, it is not a routinely used diagnostic procedure and most importantly, it cannot be applied in the diagnosis of sporadic ALS. In this expert review, the current approaches in identification of new ALS biomarkers are discussed. The advent of various multi-omics biotechnology platforms, including miRNomics, proteomics, metabolomics, metallomics, volatolomics, and viromics, has assisted in the identification of new biomarkers. The biofluids are the most preferable material for the analysis of potential biomarkers (such as proteins and cell-free miRNAs), since they are easily obtained. In the near future, the biofluid-based biomarkers will be indispensable to classify different ALS subtypes and understand the molecular heterogeneity of the disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Mitropoulos
- 1 Department of Histology and Embryology, University of Athens School of Medicine , Athens, Greece
| | - Theodora Katsila
- 2 Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras School of Health Sciences , Patras, Greece
| | - George P Patrinos
- 2 Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras School of Health Sciences , Patras, Greece .,3 Department of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University , Al Ain, UAE
| | - Georgios Pampalakis
- 2 Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras School of Health Sciences , Patras, Greece
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Poesen K, Van Damme P. Diagnostic and Prognostic Performance of Neurofilaments in ALS. Front Neurol 2019; 9:1167. [PMID: 30713520 PMCID: PMC6345692 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a need for biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to support the diagnosis of the disease, to predict disease progression and to track disease activity and treatment responses. Over the last decade multiple studies have investigated the potential of neurofilament levels, both in cerebrospinal fluid and blood, as biomarker for ALS. The most widely studied neurofilament subunits are neurofilament light chain (NfL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH). Neurofilament levels are reflecting neuronal injury and therefore potentially of value in ALS and other neurological disorders. In this mini-review, we summarize and discuss the available evidence about neurofilaments as diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for human ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Koen Poesen
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiomarker Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Laboratory Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Philip Van Damme
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven and Center for Brain & Disease Research VIB Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Neurology, Neuromuscular Reference Centre, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Tang L, Ma Y, Liu XL, Chen L, Fan DS. Better survival in female SOD1-mutant patients with ALS: a study of SOD1-related natural history. Transl Neurodegener 2019; 8:2. [PMID: 30637102 PMCID: PMC6325854 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-018-0142-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background SOD1 mutations are the most common cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in non-Caucasian patients. Detailed natural history profiles of SOD1-mutant patients will be beneficial for the strategy and interpretation of future SOD1-targeted clinical practice. Methods Mutational distribution, age at onset (AAO), site of onset, diagnostic delay, disease progression (rate of ALSFRS-R decrease, ΔFS) and survival were analysed. Further comparisons between heredity of disease, gender, and mutations were performed. Results Sixty-six cases with 43 SOD1 mutations were included and analysed, with p.His47Arg as the leading mutation and seven novel variants identified. The mean (SD) AAO was 43.92 years (9.24) for all subjects, with a significant difference between patients carrying mutations in exon 2 (n = 24,46.83, 8.31) and exon 4 (n = 18, 37.75, 7.67) (p = 0.002). The median (IQR) diagnostic delay from symptom onset was 14.50 (6.00–36.50) months for all SOD1-mutant patients, 9.50 (4.75–24.25) months for males and 24.00 (9.50–47.50) months for females, revealing a gender difference (p = 0.009). Similar advantages in median (IQR) ΔFS [male: female, 0.55 (0.24–0.94) vs 0.19 (0.06–0.90), p = 0.041] and mean (95% CI) survival [57.4 (38.90–75.90) months vs 125.6 (99.80–151.50) months, p = 0.006] were also observed in females, both of which existed in sporadic ALS only when stratified by familiar or sporadic ALS. Conclusions The results highlight a distinct mutational distribution and natural history spectrum in ALS patients carrying SOD1 mutations in China. A prominent mild disease progression was observed in female patients, which had rarely been reported in the previous literature. This finding, together with the detailed analysis of natural history among each mutation, can have important implications for future genetic counselling and SOD1-targeted clinical trials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lu Tang
- Department of Neurology, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191 People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Ma
- Department of Neurology, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191 People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Lu Liu
- Department of Neurology, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191 People's Republic of China
| | - Lu Chen
- Department of Neurology, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191 People's Republic of China
| | - Dong-Sheng Fan
- Department of Neurology, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191 People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Iridoy MO, Zubiri I, Zelaya MV, Martinez L, Ausín K, Lachen-Montes M, Santamaría E, Fernandez-Irigoyen J, Jericó I. Neuroanatomical Quantitative Proteomics Reveals Common Pathogenic Biological Routes between Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Int J Mol Sci 2018; 20:E4. [PMID: 30577465 PMCID: PMC6337647 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are neurodegenerative disorders with an overlap in clinical presentation and neuropathology. Common and differential mechanisms leading to protein expression changes and neurodegeneration in ALS and FTD were studied trough a deep neuroproteome mapping of the spinal cord. (2) Methods: A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of the spinal cord from ALS-TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) subjects, ubiquitin-positive frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-U) subjects and controls without neurodegenerative disease was performed. (3) Results: 281 differentially expressed proteins were detected among ALS versus controls, while 52 proteins were dysregulated among FTLD-U versus controls. Thirty-three differential proteins were shared between both syndromes. The resulting data was subjected to network-driven proteomics analysis, revealing mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic impairment, both for ALS and FTLD-U that could be validated through the confirmation of expression levels changes of the Prohibitin (PHB) complex. (4) Conclusions: ALS-TDP-43 and FTLD-U share molecular and functional alterations, although part of the proteostatic impairment is region- and disease-specific. We have confirmed the involvement of specific proteins previously associated with ALS (Galectin 2 (LGALS3), Transthyretin (TTR), Protein S100-A6 (S100A6), and Protein S100-A11 (S100A11)) and have shown the involvement of proteins not previously described in the ALS context (Methanethiol oxidase (SELENBP1), Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 (PIN-1), Calcyclin-binding protein (CACYBP) and Rho-associated protein kinase 2 (ROCK2)).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marina Oaia Iridoy
- Department of Neurology ComplejoHospitalario de Navarra (CHN), IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Irene Zubiri
- Proteored-ISCIII, Proteomics Unit, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - María Victoria Zelaya
- Pathological Anatomyservice Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Leyre Martinez
- Department of Neurology ComplejoHospitalario de Navarra (CHN), IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Karina Ausín
- Proteored-ISCIII, Proteomics Unit, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Mercedes Lachen-Montes
- Proteored-ISCIII, Proteomics Unit, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Group, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Enrique Santamaría
- Proteored-ISCIII, Proteomics Unit, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Group, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Joaquín Fernandez-Irigoyen
- Proteored-ISCIII, Proteomics Unit, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Group, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Ivonne Jericó
- Department of Neurology ComplejoHospitalario de Navarra (CHN), IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|