Medical First: Blood Test Detects Parkinson's Disease

Bankrolled by TV and movie star Michael J. Fox’s foundation, a major research project is poised to change the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease — and has already yielded its first important breakthrough.

In a major advancement announced this month, an Australian scientific team has developed the first blood test confirming whether a patient has Parkinson’s — a development that can speed treatments that can help slow the condition.

A research team, led by Dr Paul Fisher, a microbiology professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne, has developed the diagnostic blood test enabling accurate detection of abnormal Parkinson’s-causing blood cells. The team is being funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

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