According to a Sky News article, a lady from Scotland is working with experts to create a test that may identify Parkinson’s illness. According to the publication, Joy Milne’s ability to “smell Parkinson’s” inspired scientists. When she placed her husband’s illness more than 12 years before his diagnosis, the retired nurse from Perth, age 72, learned about her talent. The Sky News article also stated that Ms. Milne thought something was wrong with her husband because she noticed a difference in how he smelled.
The “musky” fragrance, according to Ms. Milne, was distinct from her husband’s typical odor.
Scientists in Manchester are now using her talent to develop a new approach that they claim can identify Parkinson’s disease in 3 minutes.
According to Sky News, the skin-swab test uses a straightforward cotton bud that can be run down the back of the neck to detect the presence of neurological illness by scent.
According to the researchers, the test is 95% accurate in a lab setting, according to the BBC. It is based on the study of sebum or the oily material that makes up skin, which is taken from patients’ backs, where it is less likely to be wiped away.
According to a BBC article, the University of Manchester researchers used mass spectrometry to compare the samples from 79 Parkinson’s patients with 71 healthy control group members.
Five hundred different chemicals were discovered in persons, out of a total of 4,000 in the samples. The study has been published in the American Chemical Society.
The research’s principal investigator, Prof. Perdita Barran, told the BBC that the team is collaborating with colleagues at hospital analytical labs so that it may be tested in the real world.
