Cell-free RNA signatures predict Alzheimer's disease

Alejandro Cisterna-García; Aleksandra Beric; Muhammad Ali; Jose Adrian Pardo; Hsiang-Han Chen; Maria Victoria Fernandez; Joanne Norton; Jen Gentsch; Kristy Bergmann; John Budde; Joel S Perlmutter; John C Morris; Carlos Cruchaga; Juan A Botia; Laura Ibanez

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.108534

Cell-free RNA signatures predict Alzheimer's disease

iScience. 2023 Nov 23;26(12):108534. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108534. eCollection 2023 Dec 15.

Authors

Alejandro Cisterna-García^{1

2

3}, Aleksandra Beric^{1

3}, Muhammad Ali^{1

3}, Jose Adrian Pardo², Hsiang-Han Chen^{1

3}, Maria Victoria Fernandez^{1

3}, Joanne Norton^{1

3

4}, Jen Gentsch^{1

3

4}, Kristy Bergmann^{1

3}, John Budde^{1

3}, Joel S Perlmutter^{5

6

7}, John C Morris^{4

5

8}, Carlos Cruchaga^{1

3

4

5

6

9}, Juan A Botia², Laura Ibanez^{1

3

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
² Departamento de Ingeniería de la Información y las Comunicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
³ NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
⁴ The Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
⁶ Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
⁷ Department of Radiology, Neuroscience, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
⁸ Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
⁹ Department of Genetics, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.

Abstract

There is a need for affordable, scalable, and specific blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease that can be applied to a population level. We have developed and validated disease-specific cell-free transcriptomic blood-based biomarkers composed by a scalable number of transcripts that capture AD pathobiology even in the presymptomatic stages of the disease. Accuracies are in the range of the current CSF and plasma biomarkers, and specificities are high against other neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: Biochemistry; Clinical finding; Disease; Molecular biology.

Abstract

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