WASHINGTON, DC - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Neurons havoc in the brain and spinal cord, often suffering in killing five years. But the diagnosis of the disease remains a major challenge. Now a pilot study presented here April 18 at the Federation of Associations for the Experimental Biology meeting identified 10 proteins that can distinguish ALS patients from healthy individuals.
Doctors lacking "biomarkers" with which definitively identify ALS patients. Biomarkers are proteins or other molecules that may help diagnose or monitor the progression of the disease; an example is the specific antigen of the prostate, the biological marker used to detect prostate cancer. Without ALS biomarkers, doctors and patients can not be certain that the defining symptoms such as muscle weakness and speech problems appear. This can delay treatment or lead to misdiagnosis.
pathologist Robert Bowser of the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and colleagues decided to hunt for biomarkers of ALS in the cerebrospinal fluid, which is in intimate contact with neurons and the glial cells ALS destroys cells. They collected samples of 25 ALS patients, who on average had had symptoms for about a year, and 35 controls. About half of the controls were healthy; the other half were diseases, including Alzheimer disease and neuropathies, which sometimes show symptoms of ALS-like.
By analyzing exhaustively sample protein, the Bowser team found 10 proteins whose levels were consistently higher or lower than those of control. The group then discussed a separate set of 32 samples, including 15 from ALS patients, without knowing which samples were from patients with ALS and which are not. Using an algorithm that they designed to distinguish the biomarker models, they correctly identified 12 of the 15 samples from ALS and an even higher percentage of orders. Besides early diagnosis, Bowser hopes that its biomarker will shed light on the disease; at least one of the proteins in a grave way that ALS destroyed.
"It's very exciting," said Lucie Bruijn, science director of the ALS Association. But she cautions that the results are preliminary. The association recently gave Bowser money for a larger study, to see if biomarkers fit in a larger population.
Related Sites
the homepage of Robert Bowser
the ALS Association
ALS Therapy Development Foundation
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