Simple Blood Test May Diagnose Deadly Niemann-Pick Type C Disease, Washington University School of Medicine Study

ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2010) — A fatal genetic disorder that frequently takes years to diagnose may soon be detectable with a simple blood test, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the National Institutes of Health report in Science Translational Medicine. For patients with Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease, the test will make it possible to begin treatment earlier, when it is more likely to improve quality of life and to further extend lives.