Objective/Rationale:
A mutation in the LRRK2 gene is the most common known genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Not everyone who has the LRRK2 mutation will develop PD, but there are no markers that would predict who would develop PD in their lifetime. Here, we propose to see if a novel urinary biomarker that we call “Ser(P)-1292 LRRK2” that we can detect and measure in urine is useful for predicting Parkinson’s in LRRK2 mutation carriers. The goal of this work is to try and correlate Ser(P)-1292 LRRK2 with clinical phenotype in the hopes that this marker may be useful to predict whether an individual with G2019S mutation will go on to develop PD.
Relevance to Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease:
With LRRK2-targeted therapeutics on the horizon, knowing which individuals are at the highest risk for disease may be critical for the success of advancing new neuroprotective strategies.