About the Authors

Philip Wing-Lok Ho

Affiliations Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Zero Ho-Man Tse

Affiliation Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Hui-Fang Liu

Affiliation Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Song Lu

Affiliations Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Jessica Wing-Man Ho

Affiliation Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Michelle Hiu-Wai Kung

Affiliation Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

David Boyer Ramsden

Affiliation School of Medicine and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Shu-Leong Ho

slho@hku.hk

Affiliations Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Competing Interests

The COMT ELISA method and novel protein tag “NE” presented in this manuscript are currently pending for patent protection in the United States, Europe, and China (USPTO: US2010/0081147, EPO: EP 2328909 A1, and PCT: CN 102203119) under the project titled “Human catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) assay”. The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: PWLH DBR SLH. Performed the experiments: PWLH ZHMT HFL JWMH MHWK SL. Analyzed the data: PWLH DBR JWMH ZHMT SL. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: SLH. Wrote the manuscript: PWLH DBR SLH.