John Sacaria Thirusailam, once very active in life, was forced to leave his well-paid job at the age of 44 after being suddenly diagnosed with advanced Parkinson’s Disease (PD). With no prior symptoms, his family was blindsided by the sudden and severe onset of his condition. The situation was made even more difficult by the limited treatment options available at such an advanced stage of the disease. Managing his tremors and balance issues became the greatest challenge, compounded further by financial strain.
While the dopamine replacement therapy, complimented with physical, occupational, and speech therapies, helps managing the symptoms to a some extent, a cure remains elusive.
Thirusailam's case is not unique in India, which bears at least 10 percent of the world’s total 9.4 million cases of Parkinson's Disease, a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, causing tremors, stiffness, and balance problems. Many families across the country face similar traumatic situations and share the same painful experiences.
India also reports a higher proportion of early-onset PD cases, with nearly 40-45% of patients experiencing the onset of motor symptoms between the ages of 22 and 49.
One of the biggest challenges in managing Parkinson's is the difficulty in detecting it in its early stages. Early detection is crucial as it opens doors for more effective treatment options, allowing patients to maintain a better quality of life for longer.
Grifols, the Spanish pharmaceutical company and research leader specialising in blood plasma-derived drugs and transfusion medicine, with a repository of over 100 million plasma samples collected over nearly 15 years, is currently leading a high-tech research project focused on identifying early biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease.
The Grifols' PD project, known as 'Chronos-PD', is anticipated to reach a significant milestone in the first half of 2025 with the completion of its pilot study.
Jorg Schuttrmpf, Chief Scientific Innovation Officer at Grifols, said in a recent interview with medical journal Drug Target Review, "Plasma, the liquid component of blood, holds vital clues about an individual’s health and its protein composition shifts over time with age and disease, creating biomarkers that offer insights into both current and future health. By studying these longitudinal changes – known as biomarkers – Grifols aims to identify early indicators of disease before formal diagnosis.”
The Chronos-PD initiative focuses on analysing plasma samples to pinpoint these early indicators of Parkinson’s, potentially paving the way for innovative diagnostic tools and disease-modifying treatments.
“We anticipate the completion of the pilot study in the first half of 2025,” Schuttrmpf said in the interview.
The implications of such progress are far-reaching. Early detection would not only improve patients' outcomes but could also open avenues for clinical trials to test new treatments in the early stages of the disease. This development marks a crucial step toward managing Parkinson’s Disease in a way that maximizes the potential for treatment and enhances the overall prognosis for those affected by this challenging condition.
In summary, the long-awaited breakthrough in early detection of Parkinson’s Disease is now closer than ever, offering hope for better diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for those at risk of or living with the disease.