AD/PD 2022 | α-synuclein conformation as a novel blood biomarker in Parkinson’s disease

Tim Bartels, PhD, University College London, London, UK, discusses alpha synuclein (α-Syn) tetramer destabilization as a pathological event in synucleinopathies. Accumulating data suggests the native α-Syn exists as an aggregation resistant multimer, which breaks down to monomers that correlate with disease states. In this study, the levels of physiological aggregation-resistant α-Syn were investigated in the blood of asymptomatic G51D carriers, idiopathic Parkinson’s disease patients, and healthy controls. It was demonstrated that the α-Syn tetramer/monomer ratio was decreased both in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease and G51D carriers, compared to healthy controls. These results suggest that α-Syn conformation ratios may act as novel blood-based biomarkers in early Parkinson’s disease. This interview took place at the AD/PD™ 2022 Conference in Barcelona, Spain.