Protein blood test helps predict myriad of diseases

A single drop of blood might be able to predict the onset of dozens of diseases, a new study claims.

Analysis of the protein "signatures" in a droplet of blood can predict 67 diseases, including blood cancers , degenerative nerve diseases, lung disease and heart failure, researchers reported Monday in the journal Nature Medicine .

For the study, researchers analyzed the blood proteins of more than 40,000 randomly selected participants in the ongoing UK Biobank study.

Looking at the participants' electronic health records, researchers pinpointed 5 to 20 proteins most closely associated with each disease.

These protein "signatures" outperformed other standard tests that used measures like blood cell counts, cholesterol levels, kidney function and blood sugar levels to predict the 67 diseases, researchers report.

"Several of our protein signatures performed similar or even better than proteins already trialled for their potential as screening tests, such as prostate specific antigen for prostate cancer," said lead researcher Julia Carrasco Zanini Sanchez , a postdoctoral researcher with the Precision Healthcare University Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London.

"We are therefore extremely excited about the opportunities that our protein signatures may have for earlier detection and ultimately improved prognosis for many diseases," Sanchez added in a university news release.

Such a simple blood test could not only improve early detection of diseases, but might also help in the search for new medicines, said senior researcher Robert Scott , vice president and head of human genetics and genomics at the pharmaceutical company GSK.

"A key challenge in drug development is the identification of patients most likely to benefit from new medicines," Scott said.

Protein blood tests could be used "to identify individuals at high risk across a wide range of diseases, and aligns with our approach to use tech to deepen our understanding of human biology and disease," Scott added.

However, the researchers said their findings need to be validated in different groups of people, including folks from different ethnic groups and with varying levels of symptoms for different diseases.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on blood tests for disease .

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