Blood based diagnostic biomarkers for Dementia with Lewy Bodies
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Discovery of blood-based diagnostic biomarkers for dementia with Lewy bodies by investigating plasma small extracellular vesicles enriched for neuronal and microglial origin
IRAS ID
312725
Contact name
Anto Praveen Rajkumar Rajamani
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Background: Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is the second most common type of dementia, and it causes more disability and challenging behaviours than Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Accurate distinction between DLB and AD is vital because their treatments differ and people with DLB have substantially higher risk of developing life-threatening antipsychotics-related adverse effects. Routine brain scans cannot differentiate DLB from AD accurately. Specialised brain and heart scans that can differentiate DLB from AD are not feasible in most NHS settings. Consequently, nearly 50% people with DLB remain misdiagnosed as AD in UK. There is an urgent need for developing blood-based tests that can be routinely used in clinical settings for improving DLB diagnosis. Genetic material (RNA) in blood reflect disease-related changes in brain. Growing evidence suggest that each type of dementia has a unique blood-based RNA signature. Our preliminary data have confirmed the relationship between brain and blood RNA, and the feasibility of measuring blood-based RNA changes in people with DLB.
Aims: (i) To identify unique blood-based RNA changes in plasma small extracellular vesicles of people with DLB, (ii) to develop a prototypic blood-based RNA test that can differentiate DLB from AD accurately.
Methods: We will recruit people with DLB, AD or without dementia (n=60/group; N=180) from two NHS trusts. We will assess severity of clinical symptoms and will collect a venous blood sample from each participant. We will identify unique changes in RNA levels in DLB using next-generation RNA-sequencing. We will verify the RNA-sequencing findings using a targeted RNA assay. We will develop a prototypic blood-based RNA test using our RNA-Sequencing data and a novel Artificial Intelligence based algorithm.
Expected outcomes: We will identify DLB-associated RNA changes in blood that will set the stage for the development of the first blood-based diagnostic test, suitable for clinical adaption, for DLB.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/NE/0160
Date of REC Opinion
21 Oct 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion