Researchers at Cornell University’s Baker Institute for Animal Health are working on a test that could detect a stroke in just 10 minutes, and it requires a tiny drop of blood barely big enough to moisten the fingertip.
Researchers at Swansea University in the United Kingdom have found that mutations often occur in red blood cells before any symptoms of cancer appear. These mutations can occur as many as 10 years before actual symptoms appear, making the test what scientists call a “smoke alarm” for cancer. They state that early detection of cancer is key for survival. [1]
Researchers from Imperial College London and University College London have found that “high levels of antibodies – molecules produced by the immune system – are linked to a low risk of heart problems,” even in people who have other risk factors. The team has developed a new test that looks for levels of protective immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, which appear to guard against a heart attack even when a patient has hypertension and high cholesterol.
Researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute in the United States have begun developing a blood test that can detect 5 types of cancer, after discovering that when the cancers are present in the body, one particular gene alters its chemical signature.
Someday soon, a simple blood test may be able to predict a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
A new blood test has been developed that allows scientists to estimate how quickly someone is aging; they hope that it will eventually serve as a predictor of dementia. The test may also be able to determine the “youthfulness” of donated organs for transplant operations. [1]
Has your doctor recommended blood work for you? As a recently surfaced Big Pharma punishment shows, it might be totally unnecessary and part of a larger fraud case. Two companies, Richmond, VA-based Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc (HDL) will pay $47 million to settle a fraud dispute, and Alameda, CA-based Singulex Inc. will pay $1.5 million in fines along with them.
