Fluid biomarkers facility
The research activities of the Fluid Biomarkers Facility are dedicated to understanding the biological mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases and translating this knowledge into tools that improve diagnosis, prognosis, patient stratification and therapeutic development.
Understanding neurodegenerative diseases through fluid biomarkers
Our work follows a translational bedside-to-bench-to-bedside strategy, integrating deeply characterised human cohorts, advanced proteomics, ultra-sensitive biomarker technologies and experimental validation approaches. Through this framework, we seek to identify the molecular processes driving disease onset and progression, develop biomarkers that capture these processes in vivo, and facilitate their implementation in clinical practice and therapeutic trials.
A central goal of our research is to generate biomarkers that not only support clinical decision-making, but also provide insights into disease biology and reveal novel therapeutic opportunities. By combining biomarker discovery, technology development and clinical validation within a single environment, we aim to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into meaningful benefits for patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases. Scientific discoveries generated through our research programmes directly inform the development of new analytical methods and biomarker workflows, while the Facility’s technological capabilities enable the rapid validation and translation of research findings into clinical and research applications.
Discovery and Validation of Fluid Biomarkers
The first pillar of our research focuses on the discovery, development and validation of fluid biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases.
We aim to identify novel biomarkers that reflect the earliest biological changes associated with disease and to develop robust assays that enable their reliable measurement in biological fluids. We do not focus only on the development pathology-specific biomarkers targeting the major proteinopathies involved in neurodegeneration, including amyloid-β, Tau, α-synuclein and TDP-43, but also on the development of biomarkers that reflect different biological mechanisms associated to these disorders (e.g., glia, vascular, synaptic or dopaminergic dysfunction).
Using advanced proteomics, ultra-sensitive immunodetection technologies and longitudinal cohorts spanning the full disease continuum, we investigate biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis, disease monitoring and patient stratification. A key objective is to accelerate the translation of promising biomarker candidates into tools that can be implemented in clinical practice and therapeutic development programmes. As such, biomarkers developed within the group are then implemented within the Fluid Biomarker Facility after thorough validation.
Understanding Disease Pathogenesis
A second major area of research focuses on understanding the biological mechanisms that drive neurodegenerative diseases and identifying novel therapeutic opportunities.
By integrating large-scale fluid proteomics, proteogenomics and clinical data, we investigate the molecular pathways involved in disease onset, progression and resilience. These approaches allow us to distinguish biological processes that contribute directly to disease pathogenesis from those that arise as downstream consequences of neurodegeneration.
Through the study of deeply characterised cohorts and experimental validation models, we seek to identify novel therapeutic targets, uncover disease-modifying mechanisms and explore opportunities for drug repurposing. Ultimately, this work aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of disease biology and contribute to the development of new diagnostic therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.
