Breakthrough in ALS Diagnosis: Blood Test Can Predict Onset Years in Advance

Scientists have developed a blood test that can predict the risk of ALS and when the disease is likely to start, years in advance. This test can not only determine if the disease will develop but also when it will begin.ALS is a progressive and fatal disease that destroys nerve cells. Intervening before symptoms appear is a key goal of treatment research.Researchers analyzed data from an 18-year study, examining 516 blood samples from 137 people and evaluating over 5,000 proteins in each sample.The analysis found that the 19-protein panel was more successful in predicting ALS development than the NEFL protein, one of the strongest biomarkers currently used.One of the notable findings was that ALS may begin to manifest years in advance, not only in nerve cells but also in changes to muscle tissue.Certain proteins related to muscle structure and muscle breakdown were found to increase long before symptoms appeared.Researchers believe this discovery could provide new clues about the early stages of ALS but requires further research to confirm.