Emory Researchers Identify Blood Signature for Accurate ALS Diagnosis
News related to:Emory University · 2 min read
Fremont, Calif., Oct. 28, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Researchers at Emory University have identified a 10-protein blood signature that can distinguish patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) from healthy controls with 98.3% balanced accuracy, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The study, which used Alamar Biosciences’ NULISA™ technology, measured more than 300 neurological and inflammatory proteins in each blood sample.
The research, led by Eleanor Varian Thomas, MD, an assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine, initially profiled plasma from 632 ALS patients and 160 healthy controls. They developed a 10-protein signature and evaluated it in a separate validation cohort of 144 ALS patients and 37 controls. The 10-protein signature achieved 98.3% balanced accuracy (AUC 0.992), significantly outperforming neurofilament light chain (NFL) alone, which achieved 89.9% (AUC 0.916) accuracy.
The 10-protein signature combines established neurofilament markers NFL and NEFH with pTau-181 and VEGFA, which have prior links to ALS. It also includes six proteins not previously reported as ALS blood biomarkers: CALCA, NRGN, PTX3, TREM1, FOLR1, and LAMP3. These proteins help the signature identify people who do not have ALS, which is crucial for distinguishing ALS from other conditions. For instance, FOLR1 was especially useful in correctly classifying people without ALS whose NFL levels were elevated, reducing false positive results compared with NFL alone.
ALS can be difficult to diagnose, particularly early in the disease or when symptoms resemble those of other neurological conditions. The newly reported signature remains a research finding, not a clinically validated screening or diagnostic test. However, it holds promise for helping clinicians identify patients who need specialist evaluation sooner.
The study highlights the potential of using multiple neurological and inflammatory proteins together to improve the accuracy of ALS diagnosis. While the protein signature is not yet a clinically validated test, it could eventually aid in early detection and diagnosis of ALS, potentially leading to better patient outcomes.
Alamar Biosciences, Inc., a leader in precision proteomics, developed the NULISA™ technology used in this study. The company's platform is designed to detect protein biomarkers at extremely low concentrations in blood with ultra-high sensitivity, high specificity, flexible multiplexing, broad dynamic range, and seamless automation.