Huntington’s Disease: a Blood Test “Speedometer”? (BBC News / Lancet Neurology)

Summary

Early research shows promise that a protein biomarker in the blood, called neurofilament light chain (NFL), which is released from damaged brain cells in Huntington’s Disease, may be the basis for a blood test able to predict whether people are at risk of developing Huntington’s disease and tracking how quickly the disease is progressing.

“We have been trying to identify blood biomarkers to help track the progression of Huntington’s Disease for well over a decade and this is the best candidate we have seen so far”. Dr Edward Wild (UCL).

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Reference

Mundasad, S. (2017). Huntington’s disease trial test is ‘major advance’.  London: BBC Health News, June 8^th 2017.

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Reference

Byrne, LM. Rodrigues, FB. [and] Blennow, K. [et al] (2017). Neurofilament light protein in blood as a potential biomarker of neurodegeneration in Huntington’s disease: a retrospective cohort analysis. Lancet Neurology. June 7^th 2017. [Epub ahead of print].