Disease Biosignatures in ALS/FTD Spectrum: New Impactful Biological Perspectives Beyond Clinical Approaches
Diagnosis of ALS/FTD disease spectrum is challenging because it largely relies on clinical symptoms. Identifying novel biomarkers is essential for a paradigm shift towards a more precise biological-based diagnosis. To achieve this aim, having access to proper specimens and analytical methods is crucial. Our team of experts in neurology, biology, chemistry, physics, and AI will explore ALS/FTD from novel perspectives using transcriptomics, proteomics, genomics and other innovative approaches to analyzing easily accessible tissues. The seed amplification assay (SAA) will be also exploited to detect pathological TDP-43. This project aims to create disease fingerprints useful for patient stratification and monitoring of disease progression, and to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials, thus overcoming the limits of clinical interpretation. Discovering new biomarkers and cellular pathways will improve the diagnosis and treatment of these devastating diseases.
• Clinical criteria for ALS (Brooks et al., 2000; de Carvalho M., 2008), FTD (GornoTempini et al., 2011; Rascovsky et al., 2011)