Abstract

Rapid progress towards understanding the molecular underpinnings of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease is revolutionizing drug discovery for these conditions. Furthermore, the development of models for these disorders is accelerating efforts to translate insights related to neurodegenerative mechanisms into disease-modifying therapies. However, there is an urgent need for biomarkers to diagnose neurodegenerative disorders early in their course, when therapy is likely to be most effective, and to monitor responses of patients to new therapies. As research related to this need is currently most advanced for Alzheimer's disease, this Review focuses on progress in the development and validation of biomarkers to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

Author affiliations

1. The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
2. Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
3. Institute on Aging, The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
4. Department of Neurology, The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.

Correspondence to: Leslie M. Shaw^1,2 Email: shawlmj@mail.med.upenn.edu

Correspondence to: John Q. Trojanowski^1,2,4 Email: trojanow@mail.med.upenn.edu

Published online 9 March 2007

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