07.04.2016
Research group from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Medical Center performed series of experiments, that involved 300 patients. They aimed to develop a blood test that could detect multiple pathologies, including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis and brain damage at an early stage in a highly sensitive and specific manner.

Scientists used two biological principles: first, that dying cells release fragmented DNA into the circulatory system; and second, that the DNA of each cell type carries a unique chemical modification called methylation. Methylation patterns of DNA account for the identity of died cells. By combining these two principles, authors developed a method to detect these methylated patterns in DNA circulating in blood, and to identify the origins of circulating DNA in different human pathologies.

For example, in case of multiple sclerosis, they were able to detect cfDNA (cell free DNA) of oligodendrocytes (brain cells) in the bloodstream of 14 out of 19 patients with the disease.
Researchers noted that far more work is needed on larger populations, before the test can be brought to the public.
The study was published on March 14, 2016, in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

The article was prepared by Tinatin Kachlishvili.
Source: https://new.huji.ac.il/en/article/29796