Blood-based biomarker in Parkinson's disease: potential for future applications in clinical research and practice

The clinical presentation of Parkinson's disease (PD) is both complex and heterogeneous, and its precise classification often requires an intensive work-up. The differential diagnosis, assessment of disease progression, evaluation of therapeutic responses, or identification of PD subtypes frequently remains uncertain from a clinical point of view. Various tissue- and fluid-based biomarkers are currently being investigated to improve the description of PD. From a clinician's perspective, signatures from blood that are relatively easy to obtain would have great potential for use in clinical practice if they fulfill the necessary requirements as PD biomarker. In this review article, we summarize the knowledge on blood-based PD biomarkers and present both a researcher's and a clinician's perspective on recent developments and potential future applications.

Automated summary

The clinical presentation of Parkinson's disease is complex and heterogeneous, making precise classification challenging. Currently, research is focused on investigating tissue- and fluid-based biomarkers to improve the understanding of Parkinson's disease. Blood-based biomarkers have great potential for use in clinical practice if they meet the necessary requirements. In this review, the knowledge on blood-based biomarkers for Parkinson's disease is summarized from both a researcher's and clinician's perspective.