New research from two European universities suggests it might be possible to “predict” the onset of Parkinson’s disease seven (or possibly more) years before symptoms appear.
The predictive test uses machine learning to analyze blood samples, and with some development it could replace invasive puncture techniques doctors currently use to confirm a diagnosis. But it also presents an ethical dilemma in the health industry…
Predictive blood test could forecast Parkinson’s disease ‘several years in advance’
Researchers from University College London and University Medical Centre in Goettingen, Sweden, used machine learning to screen blood samples from people with Parkinson’s.
Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence. With its help, scientists detected eight key proteins common among those with the condition. These are “biomarkers” that mean you can see who has it without looking for symptoms.
Since symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can emerge a long time after it has done irreparable damage to brain cells, being able to detect the presence of the disease without having to wait for symptoms could be a game changer.
The researchers then used their machine learning tool to analyze samples from 10 years ago, from people who didn’t at that time have diagnosed Parkinson’s. The AI was able to predict which patients went on to develop Parkinson’s, and which ones didn’t.
“By determining eight proteins in the blood, we can identify potential Parkinson’s patients several years in advance,” Sky News quotes Dr Michale Bartl, from UMC Goettingen, as saying.
The test is just the latest in a string of scientific advancements from recent years – days, even – including a predictive test for dementia and a less scientific but still useful at-home test for type 2 diabetes.
But the predictive test presents an ethical dilemma
With a little more testing and refinement, this new Parkinson’s blood test means drug therapies “could potentially be given at an earlier stage”, Dr Bartl continues. This, in turn, “could possibly slow down disease progression or even prevent it from occurring.”
And in the short term at least, the test could be very useful. Currently, the test required to confirm Parkinson’s diagnosis is an invasive lumbar puncture. It involves the insertion of a needle between two of the vertebrae in the lower back, according to Mayo Clinic.
However, as things currently stand, there’s no known preventative for Parkinson’s disease. Doctors don’t have a drug to stop it. This presents researchers with an ethical quandary: is it right to offer people a test, if there’s nothing they can do to prevent the onset of the disease in the event of a positive result?
Gary Shaughnessy said: “I hate having Parkinson’s so why would I want to know having it for one second more than is absolutely necessary?”
But there are things you can do to mitigate the symptoms of Parkinson’s
Shaughnessy also recognizes that having a predictive test could be a key step towards the development of new treatments.
And he argues there are things people can do to mitigate its symptoms after diagnosis. His is exercise. Others, according to the NIA, include physical, occupational and speech therapies (to help with voice disorders, tremors and decline in mental functions); a healthy diet; and massage therapy to reduce tension.
The NHS adds that, while there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease, treatments are available to help relieve its symptoms. These include supportive therapies (e.g., physiotherapy); certain medications such as levodopa, dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors; and the surgical implantation of a pulse generator in the brain – a bit like a pacemaker in a heart.
Surgery does not cure the disease, but it can ease the symptoms for some people.
“If we can make progress on a cure or treatments,” Shaughnessy says, “it may be too late from my perspective. But if we could do something for other people, that would be brilliant.”
