Overview
- The study in npj Parkinson’s Disease, led by Chalmers University of Technology and Oslo University Hospital, used machine learning to find a distinct gene-activity pattern tied to DNA repair and cellular stress-response pathways.
- This signature was detectable in blood only during the prodromal phase of Parkinson’s and was absent in healthy individuals and patients with established motor symptoms.
- Parkinson’s has a lengthy early phase that can precede motor symptoms by up to roughly 20 years, yet the identified blood signal appears only transiently in that period.
- The team plans larger-cohort validation and development of standardized assays as steps toward clinical translation and regulatory evaluation.
- Researchers estimate early-detection blood tests could begin limited trials in healthcare settings within about five years, with findings also guiding new or repurposed therapies for a disease affecting over 10 million people worldwide.