Study Rationale:
Some variants in the LRRK2 gene have been linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease. This has made LRRK2 a promising target for Parkinson's drug development. To increase our understanding of LRRK2's effects in Parkinson's disease, we will determine whether the amount of LRRK2 protein in human subjects changes over the course of a day, and whether these effects might be different in people with and without Parkinson's disease. Further, we want to know whether any daily variation in LRRK2 protein levels affects biological processes potentially influenced by LRRK2.
Hypothesis:
We hypothesize that the amount of LRRK2 in human blood may be regulated by daily rhythms and affected by disease status. It's possible that other biomarkers of Parkinson's disease also change over the course of the day.
Study Design:
We will obtain blood samples from people with and without Parkinson's disease from the 24-hour Biofluid Study and measure the amount of LRRK2 protein. We will then look for associations between the amount of LRRK2 and other biomarkers that have been measured in the same people.
Impact on Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson's disease:
This study may influence how we measure LRRK2 biomarkers in LRRK2 inhibitor clinical trials in Parkinson's disease.
Next Steps for Development:
Findings could lead to new biomarker analysis and collection protocols in Parkinson's disease studies, especially clinical trials of drugs targeting LRRK2.