A Parkinson's blood test offers hope for early diagnosis

Researchers have developed a simple blood test using artificial intelligence to predict Parkinson's disease years before symptoms appear.

They hope this could lead to an affordable, finger-prick test for early diagnosis, potentially aiding in the discovery of treatments to slow the disease's progression, reports BBC.

Charity Parkinson's UK described it as "a major step forward" in the search for a non-invasive, patient-friendly test. However, larger trials are necessary to validate its accuracy.

Many are diagnosed only after developing symptoms like tremors and memory problems, which are caused by the death of nerve cells in the brain's movement control area.

Currently, there is no cure or treatment to slow or stop the disease, though therapies are available to manage symptoms, says BBC.

Researchers from University College London and University Medical Center Goettingen in Germany collected blood samples from individuals with Parkinson's and a control group. They identified eight key proteins that could predict who would develop the condition.

These markers, linked to inflammation and protein degradation, could help develop new drug treatments for Parkinson's.

The team then tested blood from 72 patients at risk for brain disorders such as Parkinson's for these eight protein markers, following them for 10 years.

Using the AI tool, they correctly predicted that 16 patients would develop Parkinson's, in some cases up to seven years before symptoms began.

Overall, the test predicted that 79% of the patients would develop the disease, and researchers continue to follow up with other patients to confirm its accuracy.