New center’s aim: to ID biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases

A new center established at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis aims to accelerate research into biomarkers of neurodegenerative conditions such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS) and the so-called tauopathies, a group that includes Alzheimer’s disease along with rarer diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal syndrome and progressive supranuclear palsy. The Tracy Family Stable Isotope Labeling Quantitation Center for Neurodegenerative Biology (Tracy Family SILQ Center) helps researchers discover, study and validate biomarkers of such diseases, with a goal of identifying new drug targets and creating better diagnostic and prognostic tests.