A skin swab test has been developed for Parkinson’s disease, based on biomarker analysis of sebum, the oils that protect the skin – and it has a surprising inspiration.
This comes about after the remarkable discovery of a woman’s ability to detect a certain smell in people who had the disease.
Joy Milne, a retired nurse, noticed a “musky” scent on her husband years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A series of tests showed that she could detect the presence of Parkinson’s disease in people with 100% based on smell alone, prompting research which isolated the compounds she was smelling: higher concentrations of hippuric acid, eicosane, and octadecanal.
In order to exploit these biomarkers, researchers developed a mass spectrometry test to pick up their levels in sebum obtained with skin swabs. This has proved to be around 80% accurate.
Prof Perdita Barran said: “We believe that our results are an extremely encouraging step towards tests that could be used to help diagnose and monitor Parkinson’s.
“Not only is the test quick, simple and painless but it should also be extremely cost-effective because it uses existing technology that is already widely available.
“We are now looking to take our findings forwards to refine the test to improve accuracy even further and to take steps towards making this a test that can be used in the NHS and to develop more precise diagnostics and better treatment for this debilitating condition.”
This new test with its high reliability could help the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, which can be easily missed, especially in the early stages.
Daxa Kalayci, 56, was misdiagnosed several times over four years before finally finding out she had Parkinson’s in 2019.
“I was misdiagnosed with anxiety, stress-related tremors and told that my problems stemmed from going through the menopause,” she said.
“Despite my diagnosis eventually being confirmed… a quick and simple diagnostic test for Parkinson’s would have given me the chance to start my treatment earlier and enjoy life a lot more.
“But instead, I lost so many years not being able to pursue a career as a paramedic or go back to nursing.
“This test could be a game-changer for people living with Parkinson’s and searching for answers, like I was.”
Source: BBC News
