A straightforward blood test developed by researchers from University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospitals (UCLH) can detect early physiological changes caused by Huntington Disease Drugs Development Market.
The test, according to the researchers, can identify these changes much earlier than brain scans.
The team recently discovered that people with the brain disorder-related gene can have a blood test that can predict when the disease will start and how it will progress.
The researchers created a toolkit for measuring two early biomarkers of Huntington’s disease in blood and brain fluid during the most recent study, which included 40 participants.
The biomarkers, the disease-causing mutant huntingtin (mHTT) protein and the neurofilament light (NfL) protein, are intended for use in clinical trials to aid in the search for a disease-modifying treatment.
Ed Wild, a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), stated: In the prodromal stage, before any changes can be detected by brain scans, many people who develop Huntington’s report subtle signs like mood or coordination.
“We’ve found that blood testing could help us run clinical trials of drugs to prevent symptoms by identifying groups of people who have very early neurodegeneration.”
Wild went on to say that the blood test can find signs even before brain scans show any signs of neurodegeneration. However, in order to determine the test’s clinical potential, additional research is required.
