A new blood test may be able to predict whether a person will develop the disease in the future. Parkinson's disease It can take up to seven years for symptoms to appear.
This test looks for differences in blood protein levels between people with Parkinson's disease and those without. artificial intelligence The AI tool allows scientists to identify not only people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's, but also those who belong to groups at risk of developing the disease in the future.
“Patients need to be diagnosed before symptoms appear,” the study authors say. Kevin MillsProfessor of Translational Omics at University College London, statementCurrently, most people seek treatment only when they start to show symptoms, but Mills said by then it's too late.
“Brain cells can't regenerate, so we have to protect the ones that remain,” Mills said. “Right now, it's like closing the stable door after the horse has run away, so we need to start using treatments before patients show symptoms.”
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Parkinson's disease Over 8.5 million Globally, this causes more than 300,000 deaths annually, an annual rate Rapidly increasingIn this disease, proteins clump together in brain cells, Dopamineis a chemical messenger important in coordinating movement, and clumps of this protein can damage cells and ultimately cause them to die.
This process results in the disease's hallmark symptoms – tremors, muscle stiffness, slowed movements and postural instability – and can ultimately lead to difficulty walking, increasing the likelihood of fatal injuries from falls and dangerously impacting the ability to swallow and breathe.
The new study, published in the journal Neurology on Tuesday (June 18), Nature CommunicationsThe researchers identified eight proteins whose levels differ significantly between the blood of people with Parkinson's disease and those without. They used these “biomarkers” to train an AI tool to identify patients who don't appear to have Parkinson's but who have a similar protein profile associated with the disease.
The researchers reported that when tasked with classifying 41 patients, 30 with Parkinson's disease and 11 without it, the AI tool was 100% accurate.
The researchers then studied another group of 54 people. Sleep disorders often precede Parkinson's diseaseParticipants provided one to five blood samples over the course of the study, after which scientists used blood tests and AI tools to check their protein profiles.
For 47 people, the AI flagged at least one blood sample as a predictor of Parkinson's disease, predicting that they would eventually develop it. Scientists have been following these patients, and so far 11 have developed Parkinson's disease and five have developed a related condition called pulmonary hypertension. Lewy body dementia.
The test predicted the onset of symptoms by an average of 3.5 years, and in one case by as much as 7.3 years.
“If we could predict Parkinson's disease early, we could identify new groups of people who could participate in clinical trials.” Katherine Fletcher“The study was conducted in a controlled setting and has been published in Nature Communications,” Parkinson's UK's head of research communications told Live Science in an email.
“As a result, Promising Treatments “We may be able to identify things that could potentially slow or stop the progression of Parkinson's disease as well as encourage the regeneration of dopamine-producing cells,” says Fletcher, who was not involved in the new study. Such a treatment would be an improvement over current Parkinson's treatments, which either prevent the breakdown of dopamine or convert it into dopamine once it enters the brain.
The researchers need to investigate who else besides their study participants develops Parkinson's disease to test the predictive power of the test, and they plan to validate their findings. Other groups of people at risk for the diseaseThey're also refining the biomarkers they use, and ultimately aiming to develop a simpler version of the test that requires only a drop of blood instead of a full vial.
“In the last year alone, there has been remarkable progress in the development of exciting new tests for Parkinson's disease,” Fletcher said. “We expect to start seeing these new tests used in clinical trials and research, and then in patient care, within the next few years.”
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