Emily Chan
A new blood test might completely change the way that doctors diagnose and treat inflammatory illnesses in children.
The test analyzes cell-free RNA (cfRNA) in blood plasma and could lead to faster and more accurate diagnoses.
In a new study, researchers focused on a number of inflammatory diseases that can be difficult for scientists to tell apart due to their overlapping symptoms. The illnesses included Kawasaki disease (KD), multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), and multiple viral and bacterial infections.
The study was led by Iwijn De Vlaminck, an associate professor of biomedical engineering from Cornell University, and Conor Loy, an Ignite Fellow for New Ventures.
The research team used blood samples from 370 pediatric patients across four hospitals in the United States.
The patients had confirmed diagnoses of KD, MIS-C, viral infections, and bacterial infections, while some of the children were healthy and acted as the control group. The researchers analyzed the cfRNA profiles of the patient’s blood samples with advanced RNA sequencing techniques.
Cell-free RNA is just fragments of genetic material that circulate in the bloodstream after being released by cells all over the body.
Traditional blood tests can really only reflect the immune response, while cfRNA can provide more information about the immune system’s activity and any damage to tissues and organs.
“When you analyze RNA in plasma, what you’re looking at is RNA from dying cells, and also RNA that’s been released from cells anywhere in the body,” Loy said.
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