Published on April 9, 2008 at 12:55 AM
A company in the U.S. says it has a blood test in the pipeline which is able to detect the early signs of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
According to Oklahoma-based proteomics company Power3 Medical Products, the test could be launched in Europe this summer, initially in Greece and then later in the UK providing authorities are satisfied with trial results.
A number of teams are working on such a test as currently the diseases can only be diagnosed once symptoms start to develop.
While experts say the test appears promising for detecting and monitoring the diseases they also say more work needs to be done.
The test, called NuroPro, measures levels of 59 biomarkers or proteins in the blood, the levels are then used to distinguish between Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and another neurodegenerative disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease).
The company says to date more than 180 patients have been tested and it claims there was between 60% and 70% success in identifying those with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's.
Clinical trials are currently under way in the U.S. and Greece and experts say a blood test could also be particularly useful in monitoring the progression of Parkinson's and assessing agents or drugs that modify the rate of disease development.
They also say an effective blood test would give those diagnosed and their families an opportunity to prepare for the impact of the devastating illness and make crucial decisions about the future.