Methodological validation of Miro1 retention as a candidate Parkinson’s disease biomarker

Abstract

Mitochondrial markers help stratify Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. We use high-throughput blotting to quantify Miro1, Mfn2, and VDAC levels in fibroblasts, blood cells, and iPSC-derived neurons. Miro1 is specifically retained in PD cells but degraded in healthy ones after mitochondrial depolarization. We correlate Miro1 retention scores with pathogenic mutations, genetic background, age, and clinical data. This scalable assay and quantifiable score for mitochondrial-PD support biomarker development and pharmacological screening.