Blood test developed that can diagnose ALS in minutes

Blood tests (File/EFE/Christian Brun)

The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an irreversible and incurable neurodegenerative disease, in which only 5% of patients live ten years after receiving the diagnosis, which can sometimes take up to 12 months. Now, a new discovery could reduce the time to receive a diagnosis accurate just a few minutes away.

A team of scientists from the Brain Chemistry Labs in Jackson Hole (Wyoming, United States) has just developed a test for blood test that detects with high precision the SHEWith a small blood sample, researchers can identify the disease based on small nucleic acid sequences, known as microRNAs, extracted from tiny vesicles released by the brain and nervous system.

The study has been published in the journal Brain Communications and offers the possibility that “treatment will begin earlier, which will lead to best results “for ALS patients,” said Dr. Sandra Banack, senior author on the paper. It could also be a very useful tool for neurologists, who could have it available within 18 to 24 months, says Dr. Paul Alan Cox, executive director of Brain Chemistry Labs.

He microRNA sequence analysis from hundreds of patient samples allowed researchers to develop a unique “ALS fingerprint” comprising eight distinct microRNA sequences. These sequences can sensitively and specifically distinguish blood samples from ALS patients from healthy controls and from patients with conditions that mimic ALS in its early stages, with an overall accuracy of up to 98%.

Traditional diagnosis is based on a comprehensive clinical examination that can take up to a year, by which time many patients have already suffered quite significant deterioration. In fact, the rates of misdiagnosis vary widely and occur in up to 68% of caseswhich further complicates timely and accurate treatment.

Images from the Specialized Day Care Center for ALS at the Isabel Cendal Hospital (Community of Madrid/X)

ALS patients suffer from gradual paralysis that causes them to be unable to walk, speak, eat, move and, in the last stage of the disease, swallow and breathe. However, intellectual capacity and senses remain fully intact, which means that the patient is fully capable of living with the disease. aware of his own deterioration and the progression of the disease. Furthermore, it is a disease whose only risk factor is chance, since this pathology does not understand age, sex, ethnicity or lifestyle.

ALS is the third most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Spainthe Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) estimates that between 4,000 to 4,500 people suffer from it Currently, although there is no official registry of patients, the figure is likely to be higher. An ALS patient in the intermediate stage has annual expenses, including assistance and care, of between 35,000 and 40,000 euros. If the disease is advanced, the Economic costs exceed 60,000 eurosToday, the budget allocated by the State to these patients is zero euros.