New 'fluid-biopsy' test to predict early onset of heart attacks

A new "fluid biopsy" technique which identifies specific cells as markers in the bloodstream has been developed to predict early onset of heart attacks.

The technique developed by a group of researchers at the Scripps Research Institute will help identify patients at high risk of a heart attack by identifying circulating endothelial cells.

It has been successful in distinguishing patients undergoing treatment for a recent heart attack with a healthy control group and can now be tested on patients who exhibit symptoms but are yet to experience a heart attack.

Peter Kuhn, who led the study, said that the goal of the paper was to establish evidence that these circulating endothelial cells can be detected reliably in patients following a heart attack and do not exist in healthy controls.

Currently, there is no predictive test for a heart attack which is accurate.

The technique has been described in the latest edition of IOP Publishing's journal Physical Biology.