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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing the Analysis of Plasma Extracellular Vesicle Proteome for Cardiovascular Biomarker Studies
Published on: January 31, 2025
Protein profiling in plasma for biomarkers of seizure
Sarah Akel1, Rakesh Kumar Banote2, Fredrik Asztely3
1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Wallenberg Center of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Purpose:
A biochemical way to measure seizures would greatly benefit epilepsy research and clinical follow-up. Short-term biomarkers like lactate exist, and interest in biomarkers representative of longer-term seizure burden is growing. In this exploratory study, we aimed to identify markers in blood plasma that differentiate persons with recent seizures from persons with epilepsy and long-standing seizure freedom.
Methods:
A proteomic analysis was performed on plasma samples of 120 persons with seizures using the Olink Neuro-exploratory panel. Participants were selected from a regional biobank study in Västra Götaland (Sweden) and categorized into two groups: recent seizure and seizure-free. The panel contained 92 proteins linked to neurological diseases and processes, and levels of these proteins were compared between the patient groups to identify potential markers of seizure activity.
Results:
We identified significant differences in protein levels between the recent seizure and seizure-free patient groups for Cadherin-15 [(CDH15; p = 0.008)], Latent transforming growth factor beta-binding protein 3 [(LTBP3; p = 0.002)], Phosphoethanolamine/phosphocholine phosphatase 1 [(PHOSPHO1; p = 0.011)], and Progestagen associated endometrial protein [(PAEP; p = 0.0005)].
Conclusion:
The findings in this study present CDH15, LTBP3, PHOSPHO1 and PAEP as candidate markers of seizure activity. Further confirmatory studies are needed.
