Simple Blood Test Quickly and Accurately Diagnoses Potentially Life-Threatening Inflammatory Disease

In a research project supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA), researchers at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI, USA) set out to identify antigens and determine which might be linked to sarcoidosis. They collected lung fluid and blood cell samples from patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis and extracted genetic material from these samples. Through a series of molecular techniques, the team successfully identified two novel antigen biomarkers specific to sarcoidosis, which bind only to antibodies found in sarcoidosis-positive patients.

Subsequently, the team developed a highly specific blood test that requires only a small blood sample to detect sarcoidosis accurately. To evaluate the effectiveness of their test, the researchers analyzed blood samples from a diverse group of 386 individuals, including patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, lung cancer, and healthy controls. Their findings confirmed that the test could effectively distinguish individuals with sarcoidosis from those with other respiratory diseases, marking a significant advancement in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

“Currently, diagnosing sarcoidosis isn’t a straightforward process, and requires tissue removal and testing with additional screenings to rule out other diseases, such as tuberculosis or lung cancer,” said James Kiley, Ph.D., Director of the Division of Lung Diseases at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of NIH. “Using a blood test will help diagnose faster, particularly in those organs that are more challenging to biopsy and with less harm to the patient.”

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