Register Now: Advancing the Frontiers of Parkinson’s Research with Alpha Synuclein Seed Amplification Assays

December 17th, 2025 @  8 AM PST | 11 AM EST | 5 PM CET

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains one of the most challenging neurodegenerative disorders to diagnose and monitor. Conventional clinical assessments and imaging often miss the early molecular events driving disease onset, while overlapping symptoms with other synucleinopathies, such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and multiple system atrophy (MSA), further complicate diagnosis.

Over the past decade, alpha synuclein seed amplification assays (SAAs), including RT-QuIC (Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion), have emerged as transformative tools bridging this diagnostic gap. By exploiting the prion-like seeding behavior of misfolded alpha synuclein, these assays detect trace amounts of pathogenic aggregates with exceptional sensitivity and specificity, enabling earlier and more accurate identification of disease-associated seeds.

In this webinar, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Laura Parkkinen, Professor of Translational Neuropathology and Director of the Oxford Brain Bank at the University of Oxford. A leading expert in neuropathology and SAA/RT-QuIC methodologies, Dr. Parkkinen will discuss the scientific foundation, clinical relevance, and future direction of alpha synuclein SAAs, highlighting their growing impact on biomarker discovery and translational research in Parkinson’s disease and related disorders.

As the field advances toward precision diagnostics, SAAs stand out as a major breakthrough for early and differential detection. The next frontier lies in improving assay robustness, scalability, and reproducibility – challenges closely linked to innovation in recombinant substrate design and validation.

StressMarq Biosciences is proud to contribute to this progress through ongoing R&D initiatives, developed in close collaboration with global experts. By uniting scientists, clinicians, and industry innovators, this webinar aims to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration that will accelerate the translation of SAA technology from the research bench to clinical practice.

Speaker Biography

Dr. Laura Parkkinen is a distinguished neuropathologist specializing in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and related synucleinopathies. She holds degrees in Pharmacology and Neuroscience from King’s College London and a PhD in Experimental Neuropathology from the University of Kuopio, where her early work challenged established PD paradigms and earned the Franz Nissl Young Investigator Award.

From 2005 to 2008, she contributed to the Brain Net Europe consortium, standardizing neuropathological diagnostics across Europe. She later joined the Queen Square Brain Bank at University College London, investigating the pathological basis of PD symptoms, treatment effects, dementia, and genetic mutations. Her experience spans four major brain banks in Finland, Spain, and the UK.

Since 2010, Dr. Parkkinen has been at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, where she is Professor of Translational Neuropathology and Director of the Oxford Brain Bank. A core member of the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre, she is supported by major funders including Parkinson’s UK, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Parkinson Foundation, the Weston Brain Institute, the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, and the NIH. She also leads neurodegeneration projects within the new GSK–Institute of Molecular and Computational Medicine program.

Dr. Parkkinen chairs the Parkinson’s UK–MS Society Brain Bank Peer Review Panel and serves on the Movement Disorder Society’s Neuropathology Committee. Her work advances PD diagnostics and biomarker research, integrating digital and molecular neuropathology, protein seeding assays, and clinical translation to drive precision medicine in neurodegeneration.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the scientific principles, workflow, and analytical sensitivity of alpha synuclein seed amplification assays (SAAs), including RT-QuIC.
• Assess current limitations in SAA reproducibility, standardization, and scalability.
• Evaluate the translational potential of SAA technology in precision diagnostics and biomarker development for neurodegenerative diseases.
• Explore how innovation in recombinant protein design contributes to improved assay performance and reliability.

About StressMarq Biosciences

Established in 2007, StressMarq Biosciences is at the forefront of neurodegenerative disease research, offering specialized fibrillar, oligomeric, and monomeric proteins for alpha synuclein, tau, amyloid beta, TDP-43, SOD1, and TTR. These cutting-edge tools are validated for reproducibility, biological relevance, and experimental consistency, empowering scientists worldwide to accelerate discoveries in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, MSA, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Visit our website for more information, including the latest scientific publications using our unique tools for neurodegeneration research.