Luxembourg: a hope of early screening for Parkinson’s disease

Professor Paul Wilmes and his team from Luxembourg Center for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg are trying to make the early screening of Parkinson’s disease possible, thanks to an innovative blood test. To advance their research, Professor Wilmes has just been awarded a “Proof of Concept” subsidy of the European Research Council (ERC). This scholarship aims to assess the concrete application potential of recent scientific discoveries and to explore their development towards practical use.

According to the university press release, Parkinson’s disease affects more than six million people worldwide. The diagnosis usually intervenes at an advanced stage, when the motor symptoms have already appeared and the nervous system is strongly reached. However, early detection and management are crucial to slow the progression of the disease.

The research carried out by Professor Wilmes’ team suggests that a group of small proteins, produced by the microbes of the intestine, could serve as early biomarkers for this neurodegenerative pathology. These biomarkers could thus pave the way for faster detection and more effective therapeutic interventions.

In order to identify the most promising molecules, the research team has already developed and patented a new method. The funding of the ERC will now make it possible to refine this method and to carry out samples of stools and blood of people with Parkinson, people with disorders of paradoxical sleep behavior, which often mark a very early stage of the disease, as well as healthy witness. According to Wilmes, this is “an important step for the early screening and treatment of Parkinson’s disease.”