Researchers aim to sniff out Parkinson’s disease
A new project by Parkinson’s UK diagnoses the disease using the most unusual of tests: by sniffing the patient.
Researchers believe that Parkinson’s disease may cause changes in the sebum – an oily substance in the skin – of people with the condition that results in a unique and subtle odour on the skin only detectable by people with a keen sense of smell.
Professor Perdita Barran, of the University of Manchester, aims to identify differences in chemicals present on the skin surface of people with Parkinson’s.
This study began after a ‘super-smeller’ from Scotland was able to identify people with Parkinson’s from just the t-shirts they had slept in. The super smeller was even able to detect smell changes in someone who had not yet developed the condition.
The team aims to recruit up to 200 people with and without Parkinson’s to have a skin swab taken and fill in a brief questionnaire. The samples will be analysed by Perdita and her team to look for differences in the amount and type of chemicals present.
The samples, which will be anonymised, will also be assessed by the original ‘supersmeller’ who was the inspiration for the project, as well as a team of other smell experts from the food and drink industry.
Category: Features, Technology & Devices
