Life Sciences & Medicine Active Updated Jul 28, 2026
Blood biomarkers now predict when ALS symptoms begin
The NIH-funded Pre-fALS study has tracked people carrying ALS-linked genes for nearly 20 years, and researchers have now turned that data into a blood test that estimates how close someone is to developing symptoms. The stakes are enrolling genetically at-risk people in preventive trials before irreversible motor neuron damage starts, and whether the same approach can eventually help predict onset in ALS cases without a known inherited variant.
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Jul 28, 2026 Latest
A Pre-fALS study team led by Michael Benatar of the University of Miami analyzed blood plasma from 137 people carrying ALS-associated genes, measured more than 5,000 proteins, and identified a panel of 19 proteins, including neurofilament light chain, that together estimate when someone will become symptomatic to within about 18 months on average.
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