MJFF 025709 PNPO

Dried Blood spot PNPO activity as a biomarker for the stratification of Parkinson's Disease

01/05/2025 to 30/04/2027

Biomarkers that reflect the main biological features of Parkinson’s disease (PD) such as mitochondrial damage, lysosomal dysfunction, protein homeostasis/alpha-synuclein, and inflammation enable the stratification of PD and precision medicine. However, there is a pressing need for predictive blood biomarkers. Our research has demonstrated that a subset of PD patients exhibits lower levels of pyridox(am)ine 5’-phosphate oxidase (PNPO) enzyme activity levels in dried blood spots compared to the control range. PNPO is a key enzyme involved in the synthesis of the active form of vitamin B6 that is essential for mitochondrial function, neurotransmitter synthesis and anti-inflammatory responses.