New Blood Test for ALS Detects Early Signs Years Before Symptoms Appear

In a striking advance for ALS research, Bryan J. Traynor, MD, PhD, a Packard-funded investigator, played a key role on a team that has developed a blood test capable of detecting Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) years before symptoms ever appear. According to a recent study published in Nature Medicine, this blood-based protein signature detects ALS with over 98 % accuracy, even in samples taken a decade or more before clinical diagnosis. With early detection possible long before physical signs of ALS emerge, this breakthrough — backed in part by an early grant from the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins — could open the door to earlier intervention, better patient care, and a new era in the fight against this devastating disease.  This research lays the foundation for a much-needed diagnostic test for ALS

Read more from Johns Hopkins Medicine