A 19-protein blood panel predicted future clinical ALS in some mutation carriers
Original source
Longitudinal plasma proteomics predict phenoconversion to clinically manifest ALS. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
Population inferred from the title and abstract by Compass.
A longitudinal study identified 92 blood proteins that changed before unaffected carriers of ALS-associated pathogenic variants developed clinical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A panel of 19 proteins predicted phenoconversion over periods from six months to five years, with an average timing error of 1.6 years. The findings were partially replicated in UK Biobank data.
Why this matters
The panel could help identify people at higher risk and support the design of future ALS prevention trials. It does not currently change treatment or show that disease onset can be prevented.
Limitations and context
The study included 33 people who phenoconverted, 10 presymptomatic pathogenic-variant carriers and other comparison groups. The results came from a proteomic observational study, and replication was only partial. The panel predicts risk and timing; it has not been shown to prevent ALS or improve outcomes, and its performance in broader populations remains to be established.