Study Rationale: Parkinson’s disease (PD) has increasingly been linked to dysfunction in the immune system, with evidence showing abnormal activity in blood immune cells and their potential role in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Genetic studies have also associated inflammation-related genes with PD, but how immune cells contribute to damage in the brain remains unclear. Using advanced techniques to study gene activity and regulation in individual immune cells, this project seeks to uncover how immune system changes contribute to PD pathology. These insights may provide a deeper understanding of PD and identify immune-related targets for therapeutic development.
Hypothesis: We hypothesize that changes in gene regulation and activity within specific immune cell types contributes to PD pathology and that these changes may be influenced by genetic risk factors and clinical symptoms, providing insight into the immune system’s role in driving disease progression.
Study Design: We will analyze blood samples from people with PD and compare them to those from healthy individuals. Using advanced tools, we will study individual immune cells to see which genes are active and how they are regulated. Combining this information, we will produce detailed profiles of the immune cells and identify patterns unique to PD. Additionally, we will look at how genetic risk factors and symptoms are connected to these changes in the immune system. This approach will help us understand how the immune system contributes to PD and may uncover new targets for treatment.
Impact on Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s disease: This project could reveal how specific immune cell changes contribute to PD, potentially identifying biomarkers for earlier diagnosis and new therapeutic targets. By uncovering immune-related mechanisms, this project could pave the way for treatments that modulate the immune system to slow or stop disease progression.
Next Steps for Development: If successful, the next steps would involve validating identified immune cell biomarkers in larger patient cohorts and exploring their use in early PD diagnosis. Additionally, therapeutic studies could test interventions that target the implicated immune pathways to determine their effectiveness in slowing disease progression or alleviating symptoms in clinical trials.