Scientists develop a new test for Parkinson’s disease thanks to woman’s sense of smell

Scientists have developed a new test for Parkinson’s disease after joining forces with a woman who can smell the condition before many of the clinical symptoms appear.

Researchers in Manchester have said they have identified the molecules on the skin linked to the smell and the test could help doctors diagnose patients sooner and identify those in the earliest stages of the disease, who could benefit from experimental drugs that aim to protect brain cells from being killed off.

Currently, there is no cure and no definitive test for the disease which affects one in 500 people in the UK, with clinicians diagnosing patients by observing symptoms.

The new method of diagnosing the condition was inspired by Joy Milne, a 68-year-old retired nurse, who noticed a ‘musky’ smell on her husband Les, years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

She only linked the odour to the disease after meeting people with the same distinctive smell at a Parkinson’s UK support group year’s later. Her husband died from the disease in 2015.

Researchers tested Mrs Milne’s abilities by having her sniff T-shirts worn by either healthy people or Parkinson’s patients.

Mrs Milne identified all those worn by the patients and said one more T-shirt bore the same scent. Eight months later, the wearer was diagnosed with the disease.

She has since worked alongside the University of Manchester on the research for the past three years helping to identify the specific smell.

Their research revealed that a number of compounds, particularly hippuric acid, eicosane, and octadecanal, were found in higher than usual concentrations on the skin of Parkinson’s patients.

They are contained in sebum – the oily secretion that coats everybody’s skin, but which is often produced in greater quantity by people with Parkinson’s.

Lead author Prof Perdita Barran, from the school of chemistry at the University of Manchester said: “What we found are some compounds that are more present in people who have got Parkinson’s disease and the reason we’ve discovered them is because Joy Milne could smell a difference.

“What we might now hope is if we can diagnose people earlier, before the motor symptoms come in, that there will be treatments that can prevent the disease from spreading. So that’s really the ultimate ambition.”