Blood test for Parkinson's disease promising in early study
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[August 31, 2023]
By Nancy Lapid
(Reuters) - An experimental blood test that detected Parkinson’s disease
in a preliminary study could become the first specific tool for
diagnosing the devastating neurodegenerative condition, researchers said
on Wednesday.
The test, which looks for cell damage associated with the disease, is
years away from being commercially available. If its reliability is
confirmed in future trials, the test would allow doctors to diagnose the
condition earlier and start therapies sooner, before nervous system
damage worsens, the researchers said.
“Currently, Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed largely based on symptoms,
when patients already have significant neurological damage,” said study
leader Laurie Sanders of Duke School of Medicine in Durham, North
Carolina.
The new blood test measures DNA damage in mitochondria, the structures
inside cells that generate energy for cellular functions. Mitochondrial
DNA damage is known to be associated with Parkinson's disease.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/31/images/ads/current/sunag_sda_FAIR_2023.png)
The test showed greater damage in blood cells from patients with
Parkinson’s compared to people without the disease, researchers reported
in Science Translational Medicine.
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/31/images/ads/current/debbiesflora_lda_081123.png) It also found elevated DNA damage in
people with a genetic mutation called LRRK2 that increases the risk
for Parkinson’s disease, even in the absence of symptoms, they said.
Presently, drugs for Parkinson’s disease only help
control symptoms. Sanders said she hopes that along with diagnosing
Parkinson’s, the new test will help identify drugs that can reverse
or halt mitochondrial DNA damage and the disease process, as well as
patients who could benefit from those drugs.
Several companies including Abcam and Biogen with partner Denali
Therapeutics are testing such experimental treatments.
"A new blood-based diagnostic test would be a major advancement for
Parkinson’s disease, which afflicts 10 million people worldwide and
is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after
Alzheimer's," the researchers said.
Going forward, the researchers plan to test the diagnostic in
samples from high-risk individuals who have not yet developed
symptoms.
(Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill
Berkrot)
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