Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute

Other

West Virginia University

Alkon, Daniel L.

Khan, Tapan, Kumar

Chirila, Florin V.

Tapan Kumar Khan

Daniel L Alkon

Florin Valentin Chirila

The present disclosure relates to a peripheral diagnostic method for screening Alzheimer's disease in patients based on quantitatively measured complexity of skin-sampled fibroblast networks.

Peripheral diagnostic methods for screening Alzheimer's disease using beta amyloid and intercellular communication

The present invention relates to methods of diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease as well as to methods of confirming the presence or absence of Alzheimer's Disease in a subject. The present invention is also directed to methods of identifying a lead compound useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease by contacting non-Alzheimers cells with an amyloid beta peptide, stimulating the cells with a protein kinase C activator, contacting the cells with a test compound, and determining the value of an Alzheimer's Disease-specific molecular biomarker. The present invention is also directed to methods of diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease in a subject by detecting alterations in the ratio of specific phosphorylated MAP kinase proteins in cells after stimulation with a protein kinase C activator. The Alzheimer's Disease-specific molecular biomarkers disclosed herein are useful for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease, monitoring the progression of Alzheimer's Disease in a subject and in screening methods for the identification of compounds for treating or preventing Alzheimer's Disease. The invention is also directed to kits containing reagents for the detection and diagnosis of the presence or absence of Alzheimer's Disease using the Alzheimer's Disease-specific molecular biomarkers disclosed herein.

Alzheimer's disease-specific alterations of the ERK1/ERK2 phosphorylation ratio-alzheimer's disease-specific molecular biomarkers (ADSMB)

The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using PKC-elicited gene expression profiles. PKC-activation elicits different genomic profiles in AD cells, as compared with control cells, which can be used to diagnose AD and individuals at risk for developing AD.

Stimulus-elicited genomic profile markers of alzheimer's disease

Methods of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease are provided. At least five methods of diagnostic measurements are presented: Method 1: Integrated score; Method 2: Average aggregate area per number of aggregates; Method 3: Cell migration analysis; Method 4; Fractal analysis; Method 5: Lacunarity Analysis. In certain embodiments, a sample of a subject's skin provides a network of fibroblasts that is imaged and a fractal dimension of the image is calculated. The fractal dimension can be compared to an aged-matched control (non-Alzheimer's) database to determine if the subject has Alzheimer's disease. The network of fibroblasts may be cultured in a matrix, for example in a protein mixture.

Fibroblast growth patterns for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

The present invention is directed to a method of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in a subject by detecting alterations in the ratio of specific phosphorylated MAP kinase proteins in cells after stimulation with a protein kinase C activator. The Alzheimer's disease-specific molecular biomarkers disclosed herein are useful for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, monitoring the progression of Alzheimer's disease in a subject and in screening methods for the identification of compounds for treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease. The invention is also directed to kits containing reagents for the detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease using the Alzheimer's disease-specific molecular biomarkers disclosed herein.

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Morgantown, WV, United States of America

Tapan Kumar Khan