Study: Blood Proteins Predict Risk of 60+ Diseases
Research on thousands of proteins from a single drop of blood shows that these proteins can predict the onset of various diseases.
The study, published on July 22 in Nature Medicine, results from an international collaboration involving GSK, Queen Mary University of London, University College London, Cambridge University, and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité Universitätsmedizin, Germany.
However, the researchers utilized data from the UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project (UKB-PPP), which is the largest proteomics study to date, encompassing measurements of approximately 3,000 plasma proteins from a randomly selected group of over 40,000 UK Biobank participants.
By linking the protein data to participants’ electronic health records, the team employed advanced analytical methods to identify a ‘signature’ of five to 20 key proteins for predicting each disease.
Protein Signatures Predict 67 Diseases More Accurately Than Traditional Models
The study found that these protein ‘signatures‘ could predict the onset of 67 diseases, including multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, motor neuron disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and dilated cardiomyopathy. The protein prediction models surpassed traditional models based on standard clinical information, such as blood cell counts, cholesterol, kidney function, and diabetes tests, in terms of prediction accuracy.
Moreover, the benefits of assessing and discussing cardiovascular risk scores—such as the risk of future heart attacks and strokes—are well established. This research introduces new prediction capabilities for a wide range of diseases, including rarer conditions that currently take months or even years to diagnose. It provides promising opportunities for more timely diagnoses.
However, these findings need validation across diverse populations, including those with and without symptoms, as well as different ethnic groups.
Professor Claudia Langenberg on the Promise of Protein Measurements for Disease Detection
Lead author Professor Claudia Langenberg, Director of the Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI) at Queen Mary University of London and Professor of Computational Medicine at the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité Universitätsmedizin, stated, “Using a single protein measurement, such as troponin for diagnosing a heart attack, is standard practice. We are thrilled about the potential to discover new markers for screening and diagnosis from the thousands of measurable proteins in human blood. We urgently need proteomic studies across different populations to validate these findings and develop effective, affordable tests for disease-relevant proteins.”
First author Dr. Julia Carrasco Zanini Sanchez, a research student at GSK and the University of Cambridge at the time, now a postdoctoral researcher at PHURI, commented, “Some of our protein signatures performed as well as or better than existing proteins used in screening tests, such as prostate-specific antigen for prostate cancer. We are excited about the potential of our protein signatures for earlier detection and better prognosis of various diseases, including severe ones like multiple myeloma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our next step is to prioritize diseases and evaluate their proteomic prediction in clinical settings.”
Co-lead author Dr. Robert Scott, Vice President and Head of Human Genetics and Genomics at GSK, added, “A major challenge in drug development is identifying patients who will benefit most from new treatments. This work highlights the potential of large-scale proteomic technologies to identify individuals at high risk across many diseases and aligns with our goal of using technology to deepen our understanding of human biology and disease. Future work will build on these insights to improve drug discovery and development success rates and efficiency.”
Read the original article on: Medical Xpress
Read more: Bloodborne Pathogens Swiftly Identified by Melting their DNA
