A new study by a research team comprising experts from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the University of Yale has demonstrated that the early signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can be detected with a blood test up to a decade before the disease’s traditional clinical symptoms emerge.

To conduct the study, the team measured almost 3,000 neurological and skeletal muscle proteins in blood samples from over 600 participants and applied machine learning protocols to isolate a protein signature predictive of ALS.

The researchers then examined the blood of ALS patients, and blood samples donated years before other individuals developed the condition. Among pre-symptomatic individuals, the researchers observed previously unknown changes in blood proteins before they later developed ALS symptoms. According to the team, the protein ‘shifts’ observed were indicative of early dysfunction in skeletal muscle, nerve signalling and energy metabolism – suggesting ALS may affect the body long before traditional clinical signs emerge.