NIH ALS blood biomarker panel and CRISPR Cas12a2 enzyme signal new disease‑targeting therapies

A research team funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health published a study in Nature Medicine that identified a panel of 19 blood proteins capable of predicting the imminent clinical onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) about 1.6 years in advance. The analysis, based on 516 plasma samples from 137 genetically at‑risk individuals followed in the Pre‑fALS cohort, suggests a potential tool for future preventive trials, though it is not yet a diagnostic test.

Separately, scientists described a programmable CRISPR enzyme called Cas12a2 that can recognize tumor‑specific RNA signals and trigger rapid DNA degradation within cancer cells. Explained by molecular biologist Yang Liu of the University of Utah School of Medicine, the enzyme operates as a molecular “switch,” offering a highly selective approach that could evolve into a form of “smart chemotherapy” with reduced damage to healthy tissue.