First-of-a-kind blood test paves way for early Parkinson’s diagnosis
A simple blood test that could catch Parkinson’s disease before symptoms take hold is now closer to reality. Researchers at Kobe University developed an assay that reads changes in enzyme activity in a blood sample, achieving 85 to 88 percent accuracy in both human and rat models. Because treatments like levodopa and exercise work better early in the disease’s progression, earlier detection could meaningfully change what’s possible for patients. With Parkinson’s cases more than doubling globally over the past 25 years, affordable, scalable screening tools like this one could reshape how the world responds to the fastest-growing neurological disorder.
