New Blood Test May Predict Heart Attack

Scientists have developed a rapid new test that measures the magnetic properties of molecules in blood, using high frequency radio waves, which are analyzed by computer software that can detect abnormal patterns of signals associated with heart disease. The research appears in the December 2002 issue of Nature Medicine.

The test is based on metabonomics, which offers a holistic approach for examining the dynamic metabolic changes in whole organisms, say the scientists, from Imperial College London (UK; www.ic.ac.uk) and the University of Cambridge (UK; www.cam.ac.uk). The technology was originally developed to test the toxic effects of drugs but also has many clinical applications, including gene function and clinical diagnostics. Another advantage of metabonomics is that tests can be performed on standard preparations of serum, plasma, or urine.

Larger trials of the atherosclerosis test are already under way at Papworth Hospital, one of the UK's leading heart hospitals. If these are successful, say the scientists, the test could be widely available within two years.

"This new test could completely revolutionize heart medicine,” said Professor Jeremy Nicholson, from Imperial College London. "Coronary heart disease is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, affecting as many as one in three individuals before the age of 70 in the developing world.”





Related Links:
Imperial College
Cambridge Univ.