Methods for the diagnosis and risk assessment of plasmalogen deficiency mediated diseases of aging

1. A method to detect or monitor, and treat adult onset plasmalogen biosynthesis disorder in a living subject older than forty years of age, comprising the steps of:

a) performing a mass spectrometry assay on at least one blood sample from said subject prior to, during, or following administration of an age-related plasmalogen deficiency-targeted therapy to the subject, using a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance, time of flight, orbitrap, quadrupole or triple quadrupole mass spectrometer to obtain quantifying data for one or more than one metabolite marker selected from plasmanyl glycerylphosphoethanolamines to measure the level of said one or more than one metabolite marker in said at least one blood sample;

b) generating a result of said mass spectrometry assay, said result comprising at least the presence of a decrease in the level of said one or more than one metabolite marker in said at least one blood sample based on a comparison of said quantifying data for said one or more than one metabolite marker to corresponding data obtained from one or more than one reference sample;

c) assigning the subject as having adult onset plasmalogen biosynthesis disorder based on the decrease in the level of said one or more than one metabolite marker in said at least one blood sample from the subject; and

d) administering to the subject assigned as having adult onset plasmalogen biosynthesis disorder an age-related plasmalogen deficiency-targeted therapy.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

performing a mass spectrometry assay on at least one blood sample from said subject using a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance, time of flight, orbitrap, quadrupole or triple quadrupole mass spectrometer to obtain quantifying data for one or more than one internal control metabolite; and

generating a ratio for each of the levels of said one or more than one metabolite marker to the level obtained for the one or more than one internal control metabolite;

wherein step (b) comprises comparing each ratio to one or more corresponding ratios obtained for the one or more than one reference sample.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more than one internal control metabolite is a diacyl glycerophosphoethanolamine (PtdEt).

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the diacyl glycerophosphoethanolamine is PtdEt 16:0/18:0.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the mass spectrometry assay carried out on the one or more than one internal control metabolite is carried out by MS/MS transition and the MS/MS transition for the PtdEt 16:0/18:0 is 718.0/255.0.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plasmanyl glycerylphosphoethanolamines are selected from the group consisting of: plasmanyl 16:0/18:1, plasmanyl 16:0/18:2, plasmanyl 16:0/20:4, plasmanyl 16:0/22:4, plasmanyl 16:0/22:6, plasmanyl 18:0/18:1, plasmanyl 18:0/18:2, plasmanyl 18:0/20:4, plasmanyl 18:0/22:4, plasmanyl 18:0/22:6, and combinations thereof.

7. The method according claim 6 , wherein the mass spectrometry assay is carried out by MS/MS transition and the MS/MS transitions for the plasmanyl glycerylphosphoethanolamines are: 702.0/281.0, 700.0/279.0, 724.0/303.0, 752.0/331.0, 748.0/327.0, 730.0/281.0, 728.0/279.0, 752.0/303.0, 780.0/331.0 and 776.0/327.0, respectively.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising monitoring of the subject for a change in or risk of a plasmalogen deficiency-related human health disorder in said subject.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mass spectrometry assay is carried out using a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the mass spectrometer is equipped with a chromatographic system.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one blood sample is a blood serum sample.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said performing comprises:

conducting a liquid/liquid extraction on the at least one blood sample whereby non-polar metabolites are dissolved in an organic solvent and polar metabolites are dissolved in an aqueous solvent.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the mass spectrometry assay is carried out using electrospray ionization or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization to afford ionization products of said one or more than one metabolite marker.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the mass spectrometry assay is carried out using MS/MS transition.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the mass spectrometry assay is carried out by chromatography and MS/MS transition.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said adult onset plasmalogen biosynthesis disorder is not caused by a peroxisomal biogenesis disorder.

17. A method to detect or monitor, and treat adult onset plasmalogen biosynthesis disorder in a living subject older than forty years of age, comprising the steps of:

a) introducing a blood sample obtained from said subject prior to, during, or following administration of an age-related plasmalogen deficiency-targeted therapy to said subject into a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance, time of flight, orbitrap, quadrupole or triple quadrupole mass spectrometer to cause ionization of one or more than one metabolite marker selected from plasmanyl glycerylphosphoethanolamines and thereby form ionization products of said one or more than one metabolite marker,

b) measuring the amount of ionization products of said one or more than one metabolite marker using the mass spectrometer and, based on the measured amount of ionization products, obtaining quantifying data for said one or more than one metabolite marker in said blood sample;

c) identifying the presence of a decrease in the level of said one or more than one metabolite marker in said blood sample based on a comparison of said quantifying data for said one or more than one metabolite marker to corresponding quantifying data obtained from one or more than one reference sample;

d) assigning the subject as having adult onset plasmalogen biosynthesis disorder based on the decrease in the level of said one or more than one metabolite marker in said blood sample from the subject; and

e) administering to the subject assigned as having adult onset plasmalogen biosynthesis disorder an age-related plasmalogen deficiency-targeted therapy.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein said measuring is carried out by multiple reaction monitoring for one parent/daughter transition for said one or more than one metabolite marker.

19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the sample introduced into the mass spectrometer is a product of liquid/liquid extraction performed on a blood sample from the subject, whereby during the liquid/liquid extraction non-polar metabolites are dissolved in an organic solvent and polar metabolites are dissolved in an aqueous solvent.