Oryzon to Present Recent Advances from its Project 'Innovative Approaches and Biomarkers in Parkinson Disease' at a Symposium in Barcelona

ORYZON announced today that it will present its latest findings from its project INDABIP, and discuss future perspectives, at a symposium in Barcelona on 11 March. The event, part of the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases, is organized with support from Biocat. In 2006 the biotechnology companies Oryzon Genomics (Catalonia) and Genfit (France) began an international project called Innovative Approaches and Biomarkers in Parkinson Disease (INDABIP), with the aim of identifying biomarkers for early detection of the disease. INDABIP researchers have gained knowledge on biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease by analyzing gene expression in different regions of the brains of Parkinson’s patients. The team, which includes scientists from Catalonia, Germany, Finland and France, has focused on identifying proteins, mRNAs, miRNAs, differentially matured RNAs, and methylated DNA. They are striving to harness these biomolecules for use in diagnostic tests to identify the disease in its earliest stages, even in patients with mild symptoms.

The symposium participants include Isidre Ferrer, director of the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL); Katrin Beyer, researcher at the Department of Pathology of the Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol; Gurutz Linazasoro, neurologist, motor disorder specialist, and director of the Centro de Neurología y Neurocirugía Funcional at Clínica Quirón; and Tamara Maes, Scientific Director at Oryzon.

They will explore some of the greatest challenges facing Parkinson’s researchers this decade, including the pre-motor phase; early diagnosis; biomarkers and neuroprotection; etiologic and pathogenic mechanisms, and their related genetic factors; creation of novel Parkinson’s disease models based on new techniques such as cellular reprogramming and optogenetics; and regenerative medicine entailing interactions among genes, cells and nanotechnology.