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Metabolon, Parkinson's UK Form Biomarker Discovery Alliance

NEW YORK — Metabolon said on Tuesday that it has partnered with nonprofit Parkinson's UK to identify new metabolomic biomarkers of Parkinson's disease pathogenesis.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Metabolon will participate in an observational and multi-center study called Tracking Parkinson's — also known as Proband — that was launched by Parkinson's UK in 2012 to define the biological and environmental factors involved in Parkinson's disease by analyzing the clinical expression of the condition in relation to genotypic variation. The study has collected clinical data and biosamples from more than 2,500 participants, who are followed for seven years.

Metabolon said it will help map metabolic changes in serum to clinical changes and genetic variants related to Parkinson's disease, allowing for the identification of novel biomarkers of disease progression. Additionally, self-reported data such as sleep patterns and smell loss will be used to link metabolic changes to patient symptoms and overall quality of life.

Additional terms of the alliance were not disclosed.

In September, Morrisville, North Carolina-based Metabolon began working with the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore to identify biomarkers for a range of health conditions.

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