Scientists at the not-for-profit Brain Chemistry Labs have developed a rapid blood test for ALS based on microRNA that is incredibly accurate. Leveraging microRNA opens up the possibility of diagnosing ALS at the earliest possible stages.
Based on analysis of 788 patient blood samples, including 393 ALS patients and 395 age- and gender-matched healthy controls, the new test can identify a person who has ALS with 97% accuracy from a single blood draw. In addition, the test can also rule out patients who do not have ALS.
Although 10% of ALS patients have a familial history, 90% of ALS patients are sporadic, with no known family history. Currently, there are no commercially available ALS tests that can identify sporadic patients early in the course of the disease. This new miRNA test is equally accurate for sporadic and familial cases.
“For ALS, which typically results in loss of life within 2-5 years from the appearance of symptoms, a delay of one year in receiving a diagnosis is simply unacceptable,” said Dr. Rachael Dunlop, first author of the study published in Molecular Neurobiology. “This new test means that patients can initiate therapy early in the disease.”
“The ALS patient population is deeply underserved,” adds
Dr. Paul Alan Cox, Executive Director and co-founder of the Brain Chemistry Labs, points out that the ALS patient population is deeply underserved by mainstream medicine, which is why his organization has “doggedly pursued development of this new diagnostic test.”
The Brain Chemistry team is now taking steps to identify a diagnostic firm to make the test commercially available.
Data from Brain Chemistry Labs