According to new research, patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may soon be able to receive a diagnosis considerably more rapidly, preserving the limited time many patients have left.
Scientists from the business Brain Chemistry Labs created a blood test for ALS based on microRNA (short genetic material segments) in 2020, but it required certain methods for shipping and storage of blood samples, which were maintained at 80° Celsius. That made the test useless for many medical professionals, including neurologists.
Researchers from the business, the department of neurology at Dartmouth College, and the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now say that they have successfully replicated the original test using blood samples that were not obtained and kept under such strict guidelines.
They conducted this by contrasting 50 healthy “control” people with 50 blinded blood samples from 50 ALS patients from the US National ALS Biorepository. The researchers discovered that the genetic fingerprint of five microRNA sequences accurately distinguished between ALS patients and healthy people in this novel test.
First author Dr. Sandra Banack commented, “We were astonished that the microRNA test performed for samples obtained from a variety of investigators under different circumstances.
According to a press statement from the firm, Wyoming-based Brain Chemistry Labs has submitted a patent application for the novel blood test, which is currently being verified by doctors.
Lou Gehrig’s disease, generally known as ALS, is a fatal neurological condition. Currently, there is a delay of more than a year between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis. About 13% to 68% of instances can result in an incorrect diagnosis. Sadly, the majority of ALS patients pass away two to five years following their diagnosis.
The results were released in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences on August 29.
More information
More information on ALS can be found at the American National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
SOURCE: Aug. 31, 2022 press release from Brain Chemistry Labs
