Blood test shows promise for rapid diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

WEDNESDAY, Sept 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Suspected patients amyotrophic lateral sclerosis A new study finds that ALS may soon be able to get a diagnosis more quickly, without wasting valuable time left over by so many.

In 2020, a blood test for ALS based on microRNA (short pieces of genetic material) was developed by scientists from Brain Chemistry Labs, but it required precise protocols for shipping and storing blood samples, which were maintained at -80°C. . This means that many doctors and neurologists cannot use the test.

Now, researchers from the company, the Department of Neurology at Dartmouth and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that they have been able to replicate the original test with blood samples that were not collected and maintained under these stringent requirements.

They did this by comparing blinded blood samples from 50 ALS patients from the US National ALS Repository with 50 healthy ‘control’ participants. The researchers found that in this new test, genetic fingerprinting of five microRNA sequences accurately differentiated between people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and healthy individuals.

“We were surprised that the microRNA test was successful in samples collected from a variety of investigators under different conditions,” said first author Dr. Sandra Banak.

Doctors are now checking the new blood test, and Brain Chemistry Laboratories, in Wyoming, has applied for a patent on the test, according to a company press release.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an incurable neurological disease. Currently, the time interval between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis is more than a year. Inaccurate diagnosis can occur in about 13% to 68% of cases. Unfortunately, most ALS patients die between two to five years after diagnosis.

The results were published online on August 29 in Journal of Neuroscience .

more information

The US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.