Novel markers of cognitive impairment and resilience using digital and plasma biomarkers across different neurodegenerative diseases

Product:

CNS Disease Panel 120

Topic:

CNS

Disease Area:

Alzheimer's Disease

Sample Type:

Plasma

Topic/Product:

CNS Disease Panel 120

Disease Area:

Alzheimer's Disease

Sample Type:

Plasma

Abstract

Blood-based biomarkers enable early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases in a cost-effective and non-invasive way. Digital cognitive measures can capture early signs of cognitive impairment remotely and at scale. Their combination offers important opportunities for effective screening. We evaluated the performance of a new proteomic assay and a fully remote digital platform in a large memory clinic population (n = 391). Plasma biomarkers were measured using the NUcleic acid Linked Immuno-Sandwich Assay (NULISA) central nervous system panel. OCTAL (Oxford Cognitive Testing Portal) digital cognitive testing platform was used to measure cognition. Distinct proteomic patterns could be identified across different neurodegenerative diseases and associate with specific cognitive functions. Alzheimer’s Disease (e.g., pTau217), and novel proteomics biomarkers (e.g., ACHE and IL6R) were highly correlated with worse cognition. A cluster of biomarkers, including PRDX6, was overexpressed in healthy controls and associated with better cognition, indexing cognitive resilience.

Authors & Affiliations

S. Toniolo¹²*, S. Zhao³, M. Broulidakis³, C. Gendarini¹⁴, D. Sinha⁵⁶, N. Tahira⁶, A. Scholcz³, B. Amein¹, A. Fower¹, C. van Duijn⁷, S. Thompson², S. Manohar¹²³, I. Koychev⁵⁶, and M. Husain¹²³

¹ Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
² Oxford Centre for Cognitive Disorders, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
³ Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
⁴ University of Milan, Milan, Italy
⁵ Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
⁷ Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Steve Williams, MD, PhD

CSO

Dr. Willams serves as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer. He was previously Chief Medical Officer at Standard Biotools and at SomaLogic where he pioneered the discipline for discovery and validation of predictive, diagnostic and prognostic models using machine-learning applied to large-plex proteomics. 20 such tests were used for drug characterization, safety and efficacy when incorporated in clinical drug trials at Pharma/Biotech and 17 different multivariate tests were validated and translated into regulated healthcare uses. Prior to SomaLogic, Dr. Williams was at Pfizer in the UK and the USA as a clinical triallist in Translational Medicine, and subsequently as VP, Global Clinical Technology. He sat on the National Advisory Council for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the Executive Committee for the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium, and worked with FDA and PhRMA on developing evidentiary standards for biomarker qualification. Dr. William’s medical training was in London, at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, followed by a PhD in medicine/physiology at the same institution and training in Radiology at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Steve is co-inventor on 26 proteomics patents and author/coauthor on multiple foundational proteomics manuscripts.

Justin McAnear

CFO

Mr. McAnear serves as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. He brings over 25 years of operational and financial leadership experience across various sectors and was instrumental in taking 10x Genomics public in 2019, serving as its CFO for over five years. Mr. McAnear served for over 3 years as Tesla’s VP of Worldwide Finance and Operations, supporting landmark initiatives such as the Model X and Model 3 launches and Solar City acquisition. He also held various roles at Apple and J&J earlier in his career and served as a naval officer and aviator for over 9 years.