Direct Analytical Sample Quality Assessment (DASQ) for Biomarker Investigation: Qualifying CSF Samples

Our existence, as the most developed species on Earth, relies on intelligence and determination to understand how our body functions and what we can do to help with its constant battle for survival. Diseases that were once deemed rare are becoming extremely common. With no cures, many patients’ lives are endangered. Being born in a generation full of technological advancements, I believe that, with my passion for biology and inquisitiveness for the world of biomedical science, now is the time to engage in this global challenge to develop easier and better ways to live our lives.

The GDC standardizes data from current data storage projects and will collect data which researchers choose to share. The NCI is also working with the DOD and the VA on the Applied Proteogenomics Organizational Learning and Outcomes (APOLLO) consortium to move forward with cancer detection and prevention techniques. Collaborating with pharmaceutical and biotech companies, the NCI is also creating a list of pre-approved shared compounds for researchers to use more easily. The Departments of Defense and the Veterans Affairs are increasing their investments in cancer research by funding Centers of Excellence focused on specific cancers, and by conducting large longitudinal studies to help determine risk factors and enhance treatment. The FDA is developing an Oncology Center of Excellence to accelerate development and coordination of new technologies. It has also set up the “Navigator” program in order to make new treatments more rapidly

In some of the professional athlete studies, for example, post-mortem examinations tend to demonstrate a complex series of changes that occurs not only in the gross anatomy of the brain but on the cellular level as well. The alteration of the anatomic and neurological structure often identifies CTE during autopsy through a series of markers, including an overall thinning of the corpus callosum, decrease in the average weight of the brain, enlargement of the ventricles, and significant atrophy of the brain, specifically in both frontal and temporal lobes (Edwards & Bodle, 2014). Furthermore, cellular level changes typically include alterations of both neuropil threads and neurofibrillary tangles, following a similar pathophysiology as that of Alzheimer’s disease and early onset dementia. The primary distinction between all of these conditions, however, is that the changes in CTE tend to affect multiple regions in the brain that are almost in equal in proportion and distribution (Edwards & Bodle,

The discovery from the Scripps Research Institute in Florida shows promising results in tackling down the cause of Parkinson’s, and their outcomes led to a funding by the National Institutional Disorders and Stroke Research (NINDS). Research staff within the campus discovers that many diseases that relate in twisting a protein from its original structure will result in a cellular death but it isn’t due to the deformed shape. According to the article “Scripps Florida Scientists' 'Mad Cow' Discovery” (2015), one primal cause that leads to Parkinson’s is the lack of “NAD+” which later prohibits the proper energy function of the mitochondria. Researchers further delved into the study to find out this is preventable, by providing the misshaped protein

A. SIGNIFICANCE. Our goal is to screen chemical libraries to identify compounds that modulate mitochondrial transport in hippocampal and cortical neurons. This study is significant in four ways: (1) There is an urgent need to develop CNS (Central Nervous System) active drugs. CNS disorders are not only staggeringly complex but are poorly treated diseases (Palmer and Stephenson, 2005). In the United States alone the annual cost for stroke, depression, Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease are currently estimated to be over $250 billion annually (Pangalos et al., 2007). Despite the advances in translational medicine and pharmaceutical research little progress has been made in developing CNS therapeutics. Improving CNS drug discovery efforts is an urgent goal as an estimated 1.5 billion people suffer from CNS-related diseases worldwide. Unfortunately only a handful of new drugs have been brought to the market with very few in the pharmaceutical pipeline (Kissinger, 2011; Schoepp, 2011; Abbot, 2011). The majority of pharmaceutical companies have recently announced a shift from supporting internal drug discovery efforts in favor of academic and government partnerships (Schoepp, 2011). At Scripps Florida we have close interaction of state of the art high throughput small molecule screening and cutting-edge neuroscience research. Thus we are in a unique position to address the challenges in developing CNS therapeutics. (2) Mitochondrial dysfunction is part of the pathophysiology of

There was a broad consensus for five priority areas for future research, to integrate approaches across different technologies and to include diverse populations for future human studies. There is a need for creating new collaborations with versatile teams that combine bioinformatics, genetics, molecular biology, and cell physiology.

Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear, colorless fluid that acts as a cushion to protect and support the brain inside of the skull, while also playing an essential role in the removal of waste products from the brain. It can be found surrounding both the brain and spinal cord. I was motivated to do research on the path that the cerebrospinal fluid takes from its formation site because of its importance in protecting the brain.

The current market for clinical research trials is evolving towards increasing productivity in clinical trials. There is a demand for cost-effective, faster, and more efficient clinical trial processes. Clinician and regulatory agencies are requiring more data from clinical trials, increasing the complexity of clinical trials. Trends towards complex clinical trials have created a demand for increasing clinical trial staffing. In addition, companies aiming for more successful clinical trials have had an impact on staffing. Since 2008,

According to Khoury et al., since clinical genomics and the field of personalized medicine are still evolving, the term insufficient evidence in Tier 2 category will be used for many decades to come. It becomes important to use all the available evidence in this category to the best possible extent so as to guide the clinical

Liu XA, Kadakkuzha B, Pascal B, Steckler C, Akhmedov K, Yan L, Chalmers M, Puthanveettil SV. New approach to capture and characterize synaptic proteome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014,111(45): 16154-9.

Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear liquid substance that flows around the central nervous system; the brain and spinal cord. Its primary function is to aid as a shock absorber should blunt trauma occur to either the spinal or cranial area. Furthermore, CSF circulates vital nutrients to the brain to maintain the health of the tissues in the brain. Arterial blood in the lateral and fourth ventricles of the brain come together to form the Choroid Plexus where the majority of cerebrospinal fluid is produced. Ependymal cells inside this plexus of the brain may also produce small amounts of cerebrospinal fluid.

The decrease in the rate at which novel medical products are reaching the market, despite major scientific achievements and investment that might have predicted otherwise, is causing much concern. Although this 'pipeline problem' has often been discussed in the context of drug development, it is also crucial to examine the unique characteristics of the pipeline for biomarkers and diagnostics.

In 1976 Sarnat and Sarnat carried out a score, the Sarnat score, which was a combination of neurological symptoms as described above and the accompanying electro-encephalographic (EEG) features. This score was, in fact, a grading of the severity of the encephalopathy. It contains three stages, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) stage 1, HIE stage 2 and HIE stage 3, the latest the most severe stage of encephalopathy. The most severely affected infants typically progress from stage 1 to 3 [7,8]. The S100B protein is produced and released primarily by astrocytes in the CNS where it has trophic functions on neurons and the glia. Many molecules are asigned a role as markers of neurological injury in cases of HIE. Glutamate, aspartate, lactate, ammonia, creatinine, specific kinase, NSE (neuron specific enolase) and other substances have been studied in serum, umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) [9]. Previous studies that measured the concentration of S100B in the CSF and blood have shown a direct relationship with brain injury [10]. The aim of this study was to highlight the importance of cord blood S100B protein in the diagnosis of neonatal HIE and determination of its severity.

New advanced techniques appear to be particularly promising for biomarker qualification and verification. Information about these CSF proteins can be used to develop multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) based analytical assays, which offers

From research laboratories to personalized genome analysis, genome sequencing and downstream processing of the sequenced data has become a mandate for most biological experimentation.