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When it comes to treating disease, especially neurological illnesses, early detection is key. That’s because the earlier it is detected, the earlier it can be treated.
That is why a new study in Nature Aging is so exciting. Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, have figured out a way to detect Parkinson’s disease before the emergence of symptoms with nothing but a quick, non-invasive blood test.
A Common Disease
Parkinson’s disease, reports The Guardian, occurs as a result of the loss of nerve cells in the brain, leading to a reduction in dopamine. This, in turn, leads to the inability of the brain to control muscle movement. Unfortunately, Parkinson’s disease is not a rare disease; more than 153,000 people live with Parkinson’s disease in the UK alone.
One of the primary issues with Parkinson’s disease, according to ISRAEL21c, is that currently the diagnostic tests for the disease can only identify it after neurons have already begun to die, which is entirely too late for any effective type of treatment.
Now, though, the diagnostic test introduced to the world in the study may just change that leading to a revolution in treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
Professor David Dexter, director of research at Parkinson’s UK, told The Guardian: “This research represents a new angle to explore in the search for a biological marker for Parkinson’s. In this case the marker can be identified and measured in the blood which makes it attractive for a future patient-friendly diagnostic test for Parkinson’s.”
A Matter of Ratios
The Guardian reports that the new test works by measuring an all-important ratio in the blood. It first identifies a type of genetic material called transfer RNA fragments (tRFs). When a person is ill with Parkinson’s that type of material accumulates in a repetitive RNA sequence. Concurrently, mitochondrial RNA declines as Parkinson’s progresses.
The researchers discovered that when they measured the ratio between these two blood markers, the result was an accurate and reliable test for Parkinson’s disease.
“This discovery represents a major advancement in our understanding of Parkinson’s disease and offers a simple, minimally invasive blood test as a tool for early diagnosis,” said Professor Hermona Soreq of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who supervised the study.
The hope is, ISRAEL21c notes, that early detection will lead the way to early intervention and the ability of the medical establishment to change the course of this devastating disease.
Diagnostics is one of the most important parts of medicine. Without an accurate and timely diagnosis it is very hard to treat a disease. That is why the new Parkinson’s blood test is so important. It allows doctors and scientists to try and stop the progression of the disease before it begins to do permanent damage. One little blood test could be truly life changing for so many people.
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