Test for Lou Gehrig’s Disease Is Possible
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
University of Pittsburgh researchers said Monday that they had found a quicker way to diagnose a paralyzing muscle disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease, perhaps in time for drugs to delay its fatal progression. ALS is usually diagnosed after a patient has been suffering from its symptoms for months.
The team said they had identified a protein fingerprint, called a biomarker, that shows that someone has the deadly and incurable condition. A test for the 10 proteins of the fingerprint could give a diagnosis within a few hours, they said.
