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yesterday

Non-Invasive Sebum Swab Test Poised for Clinical Trials to Detect Parkinson’s Early

Validated by mass spectrometry alongside scent detection trials, the test will enter multicenter studies to establish its use for routine Parkinson’s screening.

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image: PeopleImages iStock
Joy Milne smelt husband Les's Parkinson's disease 12 years before he was diagnosed (Photo: Joy Milne)
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Overview

  • Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis of skin sebum from over 80 participants identified 55 volatile biomarkers that distinguish early-stage Parkinson’s, isolated REM sleep behavior disorder and healthy controls.
  • Isolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (iRBD) samples exhibited intermediate sebum profiles, reinforcing the test’s potential to flag prodromal Parkinson’s years before motor symptoms emerge.
  • In double-blind trials, Medical Detection Dogs achieved up to 80% sensitivity and 98% specificity in sniffing skin swabs for Parkinson’s odor signatures.
  • Human “super-smeller” Joy Milne correctly flagged sebum samples from iRBD individuals who were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s, demonstrating real-world detection capability.
  • Researchers are refining swab collection protocols and planning multicenter screening studies to integrate the low-cost, non-invasive test into routine clinical practice.