Multi-Omics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Accelerate Dementia Biomarker Development (MIRIADE)

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomarker Discovery
• Proteomics

Background:

• Proteomics studies reveal numerous differentially expressed proteins in dementias, yet few translate into clinical biomarker tests.
• Significant knowledge gaps exist, including the technology-translation gap between discovery and validation platforms, and understanding protein conformational states for assay development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally evaluate strategies for accelerating biomarker validation and clinical implementation.
• To address challenges in translating proteomics findings into reliable diagnostic assays for major dementias.
• To develop a best-practice roadmap for biomarker development.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing proteomics data to shortlist potential biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.
• Developing immunoassays and mass spectrometry assays for biomarker validation.
• Creating computational models for protein state and interaction prediction to aid assay development.
• Reviewing interim results from Marie Curie MIRIADE project Early Stage Researcher (ESR) subprojects.

Main Results:

• The study details the decision-making process for selecting and developing specific dementia biomarkers.
• Approaches for market implementation of novel biomarkers and assays are outlined.
• Computational tools for predicting protein epitopes and conformational states were developed to support assay design.

Conclusions:

• The MIRIADE project provides a strategic framework and roadmap to overcome hurdles in dementia biomarker development.
• Bridging the technology-translation gap and understanding protein behavior are crucial for clinical implementation.
• This work aims to expedite the availability of novel diagnostic tools for neurodegenerative diseases.