Specialization
Focus of research
My research focuses on the development and interpretation of biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, particularly plasma markers for Alzheimer's disease. I aim to investigate what these peripheral signals can reveal about brain health: how do molcular changes in the central nervous system change certain protein levels in bood, what can it teach us about biological mechanisms driving disease, and importantly, what factors unrelated to disease affect these peripheral signals hampering correct interpretation. My ultimate goal is to translate novel plasma markers markers into clinical practice to improve patient diagnosis, prognostication, and monitoring.
My past projects focused on the development and first clinical validation of novel laboratory assays for neurological biomarkers in plasma, one of which was later developed into a commercial assay (Neurology 4-plex E assay, Quanterix).
In my current projects, I advance the methodological framework for interpreting biomarker results across the currently key AD plasma biomarkers (pTau, Abeta42/40, GFAP, NfL). I approach this from two complementary perspectives. From a data-analysis perspective, I investigate how to best use and interpret multi-marker test results in heterogeneous clinical populations for accurate and individualized diagnosis and prognosis. Going from group level statistics to individual utility is essential when aiming for clinical implementation. From a laboratory medicine perspective, I examine how analytical, pre-analytical and biological variation affect biomarker levels, both from a single-protein and a proteomics viewpoint, and how we can mitigate or leverage such sources of variability. This includes the evaluation of alternative blood sampling approaches and alternative platforms to improve the accessibility and robustness of plasma biomarker testing, as well as developing data driven methods to normalize sources of variation.