8 Fox Focus | Research
What Does the New Biomarker Mean for Me ?
Jim McNasby , MJFF ’ s general counsel , left , with his husband Donny Moss , sees a clear path to transformed PD therapies with the new biomarker .
The discovery of the new biological tool to detect abnormal alpha-synuclein in living people will dramatically transform research , determining who is at risk for it . But what does the new biomarker mean for people who have been living with PD for years ? Jim McNasby , JD , general counsel for The Michael J . Fox Foundation , was diagnosed with Parkinson ’ s in 2000 and wondered how the discovery would impact him and others like him in more advanced stages of disease . Read his thoughts here :
I was sitting at my desk at The Michael J . Fox Foundation the day the news broke in our office . I knew it was something big because I could hear my colleagues describing the biomarker discovery as “ the beginning of a new era ” and “ the biggest breakthrough in decades .”
I was excited for the Foundation ’ s Research Programs team , as scientific discoveries of this magnitude are rare , but , as someone who has been living with PD for the past 23 years , I couldn ’ t help but think , “ How is this going to help me ?” I also thought : “ If this is the
‘ beginning of a new era ,’ then how long will I and other long-term patients have to wait ?” I couldn ’ t help but feel that we were seemingly at the beginning of the beginning .
At first , I thought the breakthrough would be beneficial only to those at high risk of developing PD , to the undiagnosed or to the newly diagnosed . What I misunderstood was how important this leap forward will be in accelerating a cure for all patients . Researchers are changing the definition and biological staging of PD itself .