(symptoms of prostate cancer) Kit coming to spot illness early (The Hindu)

The simple blood test is being developed to allow people to screen themselves for life-threatening diseases, including a variety of cancers and dementias, before they develop any symptoms. The test is expected to be the first major advance to emerge from a new field of biology called "proteomic fingerprinting," which promises tests that can assess the health of each organ in the body one by one. A version of the test has already been used to diagnose mice infected with BSE, a fatal brain disease thought to be caused by rogue proteins called prions. Hood said that within six months it would be possible to confirm whether the test was also capable of picking up early-stage infections of BSE in cattle and vCJD in humans. Eventually, they hope to develop a single test that will spot early signs of disease in 50 different organs and tissues in the body. At Hammersmith Hospital in London, Dan Agranoff is using proteomic fingerprinting for early diagnosis of TB and life-threatening lung infections that affect patients with weak immune systems, such as leukaemia patients and those who have had bone marrow or organ transplants. read more

Tags: disease, bse, organ, symptoms of prostate cancer, test, diseases, brain