There was an article posted today on Nature Commun

There was an article posted today on Nature Communications entitled
"Plasma proteomics identify biomarkers predicting Parkinson’s disease up to 7 years before symptom onset". Since Parkinson's is on ohm's list, I thought the article might be of interest to some.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48...60a0256fed

Here is a summary from Reuters:

Quote:

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An experimental blood test may one day allow doctors to predict a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease years before symptoms begin, according to a long-term study published on Tuesday that may also provide clues to future treatments.

The ability to identify these patients in advance “means that drug therapies could potentially be given at an earlier stage, which could possibly slow down disease progression or even prevent it from occurring,” study co-author Dr. Michael Bartl of University Medical Center Goettingen said in a statement.

The researchers studied blood samples from 99 individuals with Parkinson’s disease, 36 healthy volunteers, and 72 patients with a sleep disorder that causes them to physically act out their dreams. This disorder is known to dramatically increase the risk for development of brain diseases like Parkinson’s, but none had Parkinson’s-related symptoms.

Analyzing the samples, the researchers identified 23 proteins directly linked to processes involved in Parkinson’s disease. Using a machine learning tool, they selected eight proteins that could identify 100% of Parkinson’s cases.

The eight proteins linked to Parkinson’s effects in the brain “represent possible targets for new drug treatments,” Bartl said.

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