Coronal test developed by Norway can reveal how sick you get – NRK Norway – Summary of news from different parts of the country

Can a blood test show if you want to develop serious coronary disease before you get sick?

An interdisciplinary Norwegian research team is now working on precisely this. They are developing a simple blood test that can predict the risk of serious complications early in the disease.

– We analyze something called epigenetics, that is, which genes of the immune system are turned on and off, explains the doctor and leader of the project at Age Labs, Cathrine Hadley.

With the support of the Research Council, the trial will be developed in collaboration between Age Labs, Bærum Hospital, Oslo University Hospital and the National Institute of Public Health.

The answer may lie in your genes

So far, the research team has analyzed 200 blood samples from patients who have had coronary heart disease. The team is working to find signatures in their blood that can say something about why some got seriously ill while others had only mild symptoms.

There are many indications that it is our so-called immune response that determines how sick we become.

– When the body fights an infection, it is the immune system that does it. But in some we see that we get a hyperactive and overly active immune response that is not related to the viral infection. This immune response can be so violent that it is harmful. It appears that it is the immune response that is harmful in coronary heart disease, Hadley explains.

Does this mean that our genes can determine how sick we get?

– Could be. We do not measure genetics, but epigenetics, that is, which genes are turned on and off. There are many indications that in coronary heart disease it is the immune response that determines how sick you get. This immune response appears to be predictable using genetic regulation and that it can be found in our genes, yes, Hadley responds.

Can anticipate vaccine needs

The research team envisions that this will first be a tool for hospital doctors to treat patients who turn out to be at high risk of developing a serious disease. They also envision being able to use this test in healthy people to measure exactly who is in the risk group.

“It is important for several reasons: first, to be able to predict who should get vaccinated first, and second, to be able to give risk-tailored advice on infections rather than the whole country betting on half a machine.” says Hadley.

Contingency investigation

The Minister of Health and Care Services, Bent Høie, visited Age Labs in Oslo on Monday. He considers this project to be a very good example of good collaboration between public and private health research.

– It’s also good to see that research has become part of our emergency preparedness thinking. This is something completely new. Previously, research was only seen as something that was worked on for a long time. We now see that research can change rapidly in an emergency situation, Høie says.

The project has received 6 million public grants from the Research Council.

The goal is to reduce mortality

The test has the potential to become a general long-term screening test, to distinguish those with congenital protection against the virus from those with a high risk of infection.

– If you can predict early in the course of the disease who will develop acute pulmonary insufficiency and other complications, you will be able to start specific treatment much earlier, before serious complications develop. The goal is for this to help reduce mortality, says project manager Hadley.

There are two other research groups in the world that are working to develop such a test, but according to Hadley, Norway is ready to be completed first.

– We work very hard now. The plan is to start testing the test this winter. Our goal is to have a full test in the first quarter of 2022. If we can keep up, I think we will have good conditions ahead, says Hadley.