Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in spinocerebellar ataxia.(Research Grant Award)(Report)

Although genetic advances in ataxia worldwide have been impressive, and will eventually lead to targeted therapies for ataxias, we have had comparatively less success in preparing to be able to measure the success of a potential treatment in terms of arresting or slowing the progression of disease. One solution for this is to develop disease biomarkers, i.e., biological measurements that provide reproducible quantitative or semi-quantitative information about the severity, stage, or type of disease. For example, serum blood glucose serves as a disease biomarker that gauges the severity of diabetes. Disease biomarkers may provide information about the disease mechanism or process or if …