AIMS Medical Science Research Article
Published date 15 February 2015
Re-circulating Phagocytes Loaded with CNS Debris: A Potential
Marker of Neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease?
By: Vanessa J. White and Ramesh C. Nayak
Abstract: Diagnosis and monitoring of diseases by measurement of biochemical markers has most commonly been performed on samples of peripheral blood. However, no such markers are available for clinical use in the major diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). In Parkinson’s disease circulating biomarkers would find clinical utility in early diagnosis and also monitoring of disease progression. Of particular interest is early diagnosis as this would create .a window of opportunity for treatment with neuroprotective drugs. We have developed a novel strategy for monitoring disease activity in the CNS based on the recognition that tissue injuries incite inflammation and recruitment of phagocytes that engulf debris.