Stimulus-elicited genomic profile markers of a neurodegenerative condition

A method of diagnosing a neurodegenerative condition in a subject in need thereof comprising:

• contacting a cell sample from the subject with at least one stimulus;
• detecting the expression of at least one gene in the cell sample and the expression of the same at least one gene in control cells;
• comparing the expression of the at least one gene in the cell sample to the expression of the same at least one gene in the control cells;
• and
• determining whether the subject has the neurodegenerative condition;
• wherein a change in the expression of the at least one gene in the cell sample compared to the expression of the same at least one gene in the control cells with at least one stimulus indicates that the subject has the neurodegenerative condition.

A method of screening for a compound useful for the development of one or more drug candidates for the treatment or prevention of a neurodegenerative condition comprising:

• contacting the compound with a neurodegenerative condition cell sample cultured in a medium comprising an extracellular matrix preparation;
• detecting the expression of at least one gene in the neurodegenerative condition cell sample;
• and
• comparing the expression of the at least one gene in the neurodegenerative condition cell sample to the expression of the same at least one gene in control neurodegenerative condition cells cultured in the medium comprising the extracellular matrix preparation without contact with the compound;
• wherein a change in the expression of the at least one gene in the neurodegenerative condition cell sample compared to the expression of the same at least one gene in the control neurodegenerative condition cells indicates the compound is useful for the development of one or more drug candidates for the treatment or prevention of the neurodegenerative condition.