Scientists have demonstrated that a blood test may predict 67 major diseases, such as dementia and cancer, up to 10 years in advance.

Scientists have demonstrated that a blood test may predict 67 major diseases, such as dementia and cancer, up to 10 years in advance.

Researchers found that unique protein signatures, similar to fingerprints, identify dozens of diseases and can indicate the existence of problems up to ten years before a diagnosis is made. It is possible to detect a number of diseases, such as angina, gout, liver cirrhosis, diabetes, heart failure, leukaemia, cataracts, and motor neurone disease.Researchers found that unique protein signatures, similar to fingerprints, identify dozens of diseases and can indicate the existence of problems up to ten years before a diagnosis is made. It is possible to identify a number of diseases, such as angina, gout, liver cirrhosis, diabetes, heart failure, leukaemia, cataracts, and various malignancies.

The discovery was made after studying the thousands of proteins in the blood plasma of more than 40,000 participants of the UK Biobank and comparing it to information on future diagnoses from electronic health records.

Machine learning was then used to search for groups of proteins which signalled the onset of certain diseases.

The protein markers were better at predicting disease than current testing such as blood cell counts, cholesterol levels, kidney function or blood sugar.

Verify proteins "The protein panels we identified pick up people who are at high risk of developing a specific disease in the future," said Prof. Claudia Langenberg, principal author and director of Queen Mary University of London's Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI).Verify proteins "The protein panels we identified pick up people who are at high risk of developing a specific disease in the future," said Prof. Claudia Langenberg, principal author and director of Queen Mary University of London's Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI).