Biomarkers and differential diagnosis of alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders

Abstract

The present invention relates to biomarkers and diagnostic and prognostic methods for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The invention also provides compositions for detecting the biomarker as well as compositions and methods useful for treating Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of analyzing a sample from a subject comprising the steps of: (i) obtaining a biological sample comprising vesicles from the subject, (ii) processing the sample to isolate or enrich the sample for the vesicles and (iii) detecting the level of one or more biomarkers in the biological sample, wherein at least one of the one or more biomarkers is selected from the group consisting of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LPR6), heat-shock factor-1 (HSF1), and repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST). 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the vesicles are selected from the group consisting of exosomes, microparticles, microvesicles, nanosomes, extracellular vesicles, and ectosomes. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the exosomes are selected from the group consisting of neuron-derived exosomes, astrocyte-derived exosomes, oliogodendrocyte-derived exosomes, and microglia-derived exosomes. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the subject has been diagnosed or suspected of having a neurodegenerative disorder. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the neurodegenerative disorder is selected from the group consisting of: Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular disease dementia, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Lewy body dementia, tangle-predominant senile dementia, Pick's disease (PiD), argyrophilic grain disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), other motor neuron diseases, Guam parkinsonism-dementia complex, FTDP-17, Lytico-Bodig disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and Parkinson's disease. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the biological sample is selected from the group consisting of whole blood, serum, plasma, urine, interstitial fluid, peritoneal fluid, cervical swab, tears, saliva, buccal swab, skin, brain tissue, and cerebrospinal fluid. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enriching or isolating vesicles from a biological sample comprises: contacting the biological sample with an agent under conditions wherein a vesicle present in said biological sample binds to said agent to form a vesicle-agent complex; and isolating said vesicle from said vesicle-agent complex to obtain a sample containing said vesicle, wherein the purity of vesicles present in said sample is greater than the purity of vesicles present in said biological sample. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising measuring the level of one or more biomarkers in the biological sample, wherein at least one of the one or more biomarkers are selected from the group consisting of Tau, phosphorylated Tau, Aβ1-42, TDP-43, α-synuclein, SOD-1, FUS, FKBP51, IRS-1, phosphorylated IRS-1, cathepsin D (CTSD), type 1 lysosome-associated membrane protein (LAMP1), ubiquitinylated proteins (UBP), heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilament light chain (NFL), CD9, CD63, CD81, and CD171. 
     
     
         9 . A set of biomarkers for assessing neurodegenerative disorder status of a subject comprising one or more biomarkers, wherein the levels of the biomarkers in the set are assayed; and wherein the biomarker level determines the neurodegenerative disorder status of the subject with at least 40% specificity, wherein at least one or more of the set of biomarkers are selected from the group consisting of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LPR6), heat-shock factor-1 (HSF1), and repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST). 
     
     
         10 . The set of biomarkers of  claim 9 , wherein the biological sample is selected from the group consisting of whole blood, serum, plasma, urine, interstitial fluid, peritoneal fluid, cervical swab, tears, saliva, buccal swab, skin, brain tissue, and cerebrospinal fluid. 
     
     
         11 . The set of biomarkers of  claim 9 , wherein the neurodegenerative disorder is selected from the group consisting of: Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular disease dementia, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Lewy body dementia, tangle-predominant senile dementia, Pick's disease (PiD), argyrophilic grain disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), other motor neuron diseases, Guam parkinsonism-dementia complex, FTDP-17, Lytico-Bodig disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and Parkinson's disease. 
     
     
         12 . The set of biomarkers of  claim 9 , further comprising assaying the levels of the biomarkers in vesicles from the sample. 
     
     
         13 . The set of biomarkers of  claim 12 , wherein the vesicles are selected from the group consisting of exosomes, microparticles, microvesicles, nanosomes, extracellular vesicles, and ectosomes. 
     
     
         14 . The set of biomarkers of  claim 9 , further comprising one or more biomarkers selected from the group consisting of Tau, phosphorylated Tau, Aβ1-42, TDP-43, α-synuclein, SOD-1, FUS, FKBP51, IRS-1, phosphorylated IRS-1, cathepsin D (CTSD), type 1 lysosome-associated membrane protein (LAMP1), ubiquitinylated proteins (UBP), heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilament light chain (NFL), CD9, CD63, CD81, and CD171. 
     
     
         15 . A kit for diagnosing or prognosing a neurodegenerative disorder in a subject, identifying a subject at risk of a neurodegenerative disorder, or prescribing a therapeutic regimen or predicting benefit from therapy in a subject having a neurodegenerative disorder, the kit comprising one or more agents which specifically binds vesicles, one or more agents which specifically bind a biomarker, one or more containers for collecting and or holding the biological sample, and an instruction for its use, wherein the neurodegenerative disorder is associated with altered biomarker levels and wherein the biomarker is selected from the group consisting of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LPR6), heat-shock factor-1 (HSF1), and repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST). 
     
     
         16 . The kit of  claim 15 , wherein the vesicles are selected from the group consisting of exosomes, microparticles, microvesicles, nanosomes, extracellular vesicles, and ectosomes. 
     
     
         17 . The kit of  claim 15 , wherein the agents are a monoclonal anti-human NCAM antibody, a monoclonal anti-human CD171 antibody, a monoclonal CD9 antibody, a monoclonal CD63 antibody, a monoclonal neuron-specific enolase antibody, or a monoclonal CD81 antibody. 
     
     
         18 . The kit of  claim 15 , wherein the exosomes are selected from the group consisting of neuron-derived exosomes, astrocyte-derived exosomes, oliogodendrocyte-derived exosomes, and microglia-derived exosomes. 
     
     
         19 . The kit of  claim 15 , wherein the neurodegenerative disorder is selected from the group consisting of:
 Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular disease dementia, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Lewy body dementia, tangle-predominant senile dementia, Pick's disease (PiD), argyrophilic grain disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), other motor neuron diseases, Guam parkinsonism-dementia complex, FTDP-17, Lytico-Bodig disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and Parkinson's disease.   
     
     
         20 . The kit of  claim 17 , further comprising one or more agents which specifically bind to one or more biomarkers selected from the group consisting of Tau, phosphorylated Tau, Aβ31-42, TDP-43, α-synuclein, SOD-1, FUS, FKBP51, IRS-1, phosphorylated IRS-1, cathepsin D (CTSD), type 1 lysosome-associated membrane protein (LAMP1), ubiquitinylated proteins (UBP), heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilament light chain (NFL), CD9, CD63, CD81, and CD171.