HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, September 7, 2022 (HealthDay News). — Patients suspected of having had an affair. amyotrophic-lateral sclerosisNew research suggests that ALS may soon be diagnosed much faster and not waste the time of many.
In 2020, a blood test for ALS based on microRNA (short segments of genetic material) was developed by scientists from the company Brain Chemistry Labs, but it required precise protocols for shipping and storage of blood samples, which were maintained at −80° Celsius. That meant many doctors and neurologists couldn’t use the test.
Researchers from Dartmouth’s neurology department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that they were able to reproduce the original test using blood samples that weren’t collected and kept under strict requirements.
They did this by comparing blinded blood sample from 50 ALS patients from U.S. National ALS Biorepository with 50 healthy participants. This new test was able to accurately distinguish between people suffering from ALS and healthy individuals, according to the investigators.
“We were surprised that the microRNA test worked for samples collected from a variety of investigators under differing conditions,” said first author Dr. Sandra Banack.
According to a company press release, the doctors are currently verifying the blood test. Brain Chemistry Labs in Wyoming has applied for a patent.
ALSLou Gehrig’s Disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, can be described as an incurable neurological condition. The time it takes for symptoms to manifest and for diagnosis to be given is approximately one year. A diagnosis that is incorrect can happen in between 13% and 68%. Unfortunately, most ALS patients die between two to five years after diagnosis.
The findings were published online on Aug. 29 in Journal of the Neurological Sciences .
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More information about ALS can be found at the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
SOURCE: Brain Chemistry Labs news release, August 31, 2022
