Kicking-off saliva based Parkinson’s disease detection study using E-TRF and biosensors – Interview with Professor Valtteri Kaasinen from University of Turku
Aqsens Health is excited to take part in a cross-disciplinary Parkinson’s disease study in collaboration with Professor Valtteri Kaasinen from The Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Turku. The aim of the study is to improve Parkinson’s disease’s diagnostic accuracy with Aqsens’ E-TRF and biosensor technology, and smell detection dogs. We had the pleasure to interview Professor Kaasinen about Parkinson’s disease (PD), its diagnostics, and how this study could help improve diagnostics in the future.
What type of a disease is Parkinson’s disease? What areas of the body does it affect?
Parkinson’s disease is a common neurological disease, which is typically diagnosed in elderly individuals, with the most common diagnosis age being around 70 years. However, it can also affect young adults in their prime. The cause of this condition remains unknown, although several recognized risk-factors include age, gender (more prevalent in males), genetics and exposure to certain environmental factors, such as agricultural chemicals.
In PD, there is a reduction in the levels of brain dopamine, a crucial neurotransmitter. The approach in current drug therapy is to address this dopamine deficiency, with the goal of restoring normal dopamine function in the brain.
The primary motor symptoms of PD include rest tremor, muscle stiffness and slowness of movements, but there are also various important possible non-motor symptoms, such as hyposmia (loss of the sense of smell), constipation, sleep problems and cognitive problems. PD is a complex: it’s an individually variable disease and it changes throughout the course of the disease.
How is Parkinson’s currently usually diagnosed?
Currently, the diagnosis of PD is made based on clinical criteria, taking into account the nature of symptoms, their progression, and findings from neurological examinations. Additionally, structural imaging of the brain, such as magnetic resonance imaging, is often performed as an exclusionary measure. Occasionally, functional dopaminergic brain imaging with SPECT or PET to assess dopamine activity in the brain may be used as a diagnostic aid. However, at present, there is no laboratory or imaging study in clinical use that definitely confirms a patient’s diagnosis of PD.
What in diagnosing Parkinson’s is the most challenging from a clinician’s point of view?
Challenges in diagnosis primarily arise from the fact that, in the early stages of the disease, the symptoms can resemble other conditions such as essential tremor or rarer atypical parkinsonisms, such as PSP or MSA. Misdiagnoses in the early stages of PD are relatively common, with estimates of error rates ranging from 10 to 25 percent in the initial diagnostics, and misdiagnoses can lead to incorrect treatments and inaccurate prognostic assessments. Experience and expertise can reduce this percentage, but it is evident that there is room for improvement in the diagnostic process.
What are the main goals of this research collaboration?
Through research collaboration with Aqsens Health, we aim to improve the diagnostic process of PD using TFR-based methods for urine, serum and saliva. We are comparing these methods to brain dopaminergic imaging to validate that they can provide at least as accurate diagnostic assessments as dopamine SPECT imaging, which poses issues such as radiation exposure to patients, high costs, and limited global accessibility. Together with Aqsens Health, our goal is to identify a more precise, cost-effective, and widely accessible diagnostic approach.
What type of role do Aqsens’ E-TRF and biosensors play in this research study?
During this research study Aqsens Health will develop both chemical sensors and biosensors towards PD using saliva, urine and serum samples. In addition, the study will also include the characterization of Parkinson's disease-related biomarkers within the samples, employing biosensors for measurement and utilizing the same phage binders to enrich candidate biomarkers for subsequent analysis with Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.
Aqsens Health has extensive experience with these methods in the context of several other diseases and biosensor technology could be a promising method in the diagnosis of PD as well. Our study could bring in a new method to support Parkinson's diagnostics, and we might discover new biomarkers to improve diagnostics and open up the pathophysiology of the disease.
What about scent dogs?
As our second research line, we are exploring the potential assistance of sniffer dogs (smell detection dogs) in PD diagnosis. Preliminary research results have been published, suggesting that smell detection dogs could accurately distinguish PD with high precision. In addition to conventional methods, we are collecting sebum samples from patients for dog training and testing in diagnostics.
What kind of hopes or expectations do you have for this study? How could this study help Parkinson’s patients in the future?
As a clinical neurologist foremost, I continuously wrestle with diagnostic challenges in PD. I hope that through this research collaboration, we can enhance the diagnostic accuracy of this condition, leading to more targeted and timely initiation of treatments, thereby reducing the concern and uncertainty for patients and their families amidst the symptoms. A PD diagnosis is always significant for the patient, and an incorrect diagnosis is particularly impactful.
We want to thank Professor Kaasinen for the interview!
Dr. Valtteri Kaasinen is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Turku, and the Chief Physician of Turku University Hospital’s Neurocenter. Dr. Kaasinen specializes in movement disorders and has studied Parkinson’s disease throughout his career. His research group takes part in several research collaborations and projects that aim to improve the treatment and diagnostics of different neurological movement disorders.
