Biomarkers of Anorexia Nervosa

Sietske Helder

sietske.helder@iop.kcl.ac.uk

Anorexia Nervosa

� Refusal /failure to maintain a normal

body weight

� Highest mortality among psychiatric

disorders

� Heritability estimates 50 – 80%

[Kaye, Physiol Behav, 2008]

[Gorwood et al, Eur J Pharmacol, 2003]

Proteome-wide analysis

� Hypothesis generating approach

� Identify biomarkers

� Research: New candidates in aetiology and course of disease of Anorexia

� Clinical: Monitor disease severity and predict onset, relapse or outcome

� No studies on eating disorders yet

[Jacobs et al; J Prot Res; 2005]

[Schwarz and Bahn; Electrophoresis; 2008]

Study population

Matched on age, sex and ethnicity

� 11 current AN patients

� 8 recovered AN patients

� 17 controls

80% Power requires 20 – 30

per group

Overview sample BMI

0

5

10

15

20

25

Expectations

State

Trait

Biomarker?

Causality?

AN recov. controls

Methods

� Blood plasma

� No food two hours prior to blood collection

� Centrifugal speed 3000g

� Store at -80○ Celsius within 2 hours

� 2D-gel

� Charge (Iso-electric focussing pH 3 – 11)�

� Mass (Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis)�

� Analysis with Progenesis SameSpots software

[Hye et al, Brain, 2006]

Methods continued

Mass

Charge (pH) �

� Comparing the relative amount

of each protein

Methods continued

Protein selection – 1

Protein selection – 2

Next steps

� Increase sample size

� Identify main spots by mass spectrometry

� Validation and replication

� Longitudinal case-only study

� Process of change in AN patients

� Eating Disorders Department

� Therapists and phlebotomists

Maudsley Hospital

� MRC SGDP centre

� Lovestone group

Acknowledgements

� Ricardo Sainz-Fuertes *

� Frederique van den Eynde

� Anna Oldershaw

� Amy Harrison

� David Collier *

� Ulrike Schmidt

� Iain Campbell

� Janet Treasure

Marie Curie Actions

� INTACT Research

Training Network

� http://www.intact-rtn.eu