Parkinson’s disease is a serious brain condition that slowly affects movement, balance, and coordination. Unfortunately, most people are diagnosed only after many brain cells have already been damaged—making it too late to fully stop or reverse the disease.
Doctors and scientists have long hoped for a way to detect Parkinson’s much earlier, giving people a better chance to slow down or even prevent its effects.
Now, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem may have found a way to do just that. They’ve developed a simple and affordable blood test that can detect signs of Parkinson’s disease long before symptoms begin. This test doesn’t rely on brain scans or complicated procedures—it works by looking at tiny pieces of genetic material in the blood.
The team focused on something called transfer RNA fragments, or tRFs. These are small pieces of RNA that were once thought to be unimportant, but scientists are now discovering they play a big role in the body.
The researchers found that people with early Parkinson’s have more of a certain type of tRF (called RGTTCRA-tRFs) and less of another type that comes from mitochondria (called MT-tRFs). Mitochondria are like little energy factories inside our cells, and their health is often linked to diseases.
By measuring the ratio between these two RNA markers, the test can tell whether someone is likely to develop Parkinson’s—even before they show symptoms. This is a major step forward because it gives doctors and patients a chance to act early, potentially using treatments that could delay or reduce the effects of the disease.
The study was led by Ph.D. student Nimrod Madrer, with guidance from Professor Hermona Soreq, and included a team of scientists from Israel and the UK. They tested blood samples from people all over the world, including participants from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative.
The results were impressive: the test was able to detect Parkinson’s with 86% accuracy, which is much better than current methods based on symptoms and clinical tests.
What makes this test even more promising is how easy it is to use. It’s a basic qPCR test—a common lab technique that many clinics already use for other health checks. That means it could be widely available in hospitals and clinics, even those without fancy equipment. It’s quick, non-invasive (just a blood sample), and cheap to run.
The researchers also noticed that one of the RNA markers (the RGTTCRA-tRF) dropped after patients received deep brain stimulation—a common treatment for Parkinson’s. This suggests that the RNA markers might not just help with diagnosis but could also help doctors track how well a treatment is working.
Professor Soreq said that by focusing on tRFs, they’ve opened a new window into what’s happening in the body during the earliest stages of Parkinson’s. Madrer added that early detection could greatly reduce the stress and uncertainty patients feel when they’re waiting for a diagnosis.
In short, this test could be a game-changer. It’s fast, simple, affordable, and accurate. It might soon help doctors find Parkinson’s before it causes serious brain damage—offering people a chance to take action early and protect their health.
Review and Analysis of the Study Findings:
This study represents a big leap in how we diagnose Parkinson’s disease. Right now, doctors usually identify the disease after symptoms appear—which is often too late to stop major damage. The new test changes that by detecting subtle changes in RNA fragments in the blood. It gives a clear and early signal that Parkinson’s might be developing.
The test’s accuracy of 86% is already much higher than standard clinical tools, and it’s based on an easy method that many health centers can adopt. By offering a simple blood test instead of expensive scans or long observation periods, it makes early diagnosis more accessible to more people.
Most importantly, this kind of test could shift the focus of Parkinson’s care—from managing symptoms after the damage is done, to preventing or slowing the disease before it starts.
If validated in larger populations, this test could lead to a future where Parkinson’s is caught early, treated early, and perhaps even prevented. That would be a major breakthrough for millions of people around the world.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing Plant-based diets could protect cognitive health from air pollution.
The research findings can be found in Nature Aging.
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