Chinese researchers have developed an imaging biomarker for Parkinson's disease (PD) that will be reliable for diagnosis and drug development as an outcome measure in clinical trials.

PD is a degenerative condition of the brain associated with symptoms such as tremor, slow movement and sleep disorders, and an aging population has seen a rising prevalence of PD, said Professor Ye Keqiang, a member of the research team.

He added that the early diagnosis of PD and measures to delay and even prevent its development have been major scientific challenges in neurodegenerative disease research.

"PD is characterized by the accumulation of α-synuclein aggregates into Lewy bodies (LB)," said Professor Zhang Zhentao with the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University.

However, there have been a lack of tracers for LB in clinic, which leads to the fact that the diagnosis of PD mainly depends on clinical symptoms without objective biomarkers, Zhang added.

The research team developed a small molecule compound with high selectivity for LB that can provide an objective basis for early diagnosis and holds great scientific value and clinical significance.

The study was published in the journal Cell.