An early diagnostic test for Motor Neurone Disease is a step closer thanks to research being undertaken at the University of Wollongong.
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The development of a test is the goal of a study led by Associate Professor Anthony Dosseto; who said it could lead to improved survival rates for the neurodegenerative disease that affects around 2000 Australians.
‘’(MND) is a disease that generally appears in the second part of your life, and life expectancy following diagnosis is only two-and-a-half years,’’ he said.
‘’Because of this short life expectancy, if a treatment is to be developed, it is crucial to be able to diagnose the disease as early as possible so chances of survival can be increased.
‘’At the moment there is no detection tool for the disease, and one of the aims of this project is to provide some.’’
Researchers from the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, worked in conjunction with the Illawarra Health and Medical Institute.
The study measured the association between the disease and lifetime changes in trace copper, iron and zinc concentrations in tissues of MND-affected mice.
‘’Metals such are copper and zinc are very important for our body to operate properly,’’ Professor Dosseto said. ‘’However, we know they are also associated to the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as MND.
‘’The aim of this project is to study metal concentrations and isotope ratios in MND-affected and healthy mice at different stages of their life.
‘’This can help us better understand the development of the disease, but also, if differences between MND-affected and healthy mice can be detected, provide a detection tool for the disease.’’
Researchers found that the concentrations of copper and zinc increased in the spinal cord and muscle of MND-affected mice – prior to the onset of symptoms.
‘’These findings are important because these differences are detected before the appearance of the first symptoms,’’ he said.
If these results were confirmed in humans, it could mean that by measuring copper and zinc concentrations in muscle and blood, specialists could diagnose MND before symptoms appeared.
‘’This would significantly increase life expectancy after diagnosis,’’ he said.
