A team of researchers identified biomarkers of autism spectrum disorder in blood and urine, which may help to advance the creation of a clinical test for ASD, according to a study published in the journal Molecular Autism.
For the study, researchers enrolled 38 children with varying degrees of ASD and 31 age-matched controls without the disorder. Researchers obtained blood and urine samples from both groups of participants. The team found higher levels of glycation end products, dityrosine and arginine transporter dysfunction in children with ASD.
Researchers then developed different algorithms to distinguish between participants with and without the disorder. The most effective test, which assessed blood samples, identified children with the disorder 92 percent of the time.
"We hope the tests will also reveal new causative factors," said Naila Rabbani, PhD, a biology researcher at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. "With further testing we may reveal specific plasma and urinary profiles or 'fingerprints' of compounds with damaging modifications. This may help us improve the diagnosis of ASD and point the way to new causes of ASD."
Further research will be needed to confirm diagnostic performance and determine whether the test can identify the disorder in younger children.
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