New diagnostic tool bypasses blood-brain barrier to detect autism early

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260630/New-diagnostic-tool-bypasses-blood-brain-barrier-to-detect-autism-early.aspx A study published in NeuroMarkers showed that a nanosensor can measure nitric oxide (NO) from patient-derived stem cells to distinguish autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from intellectual disability (ID), even when both conditions share the exact same genetic mutation. The researchers, from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Ohio University, used a carbon-fiber nanosensor, originally developed to study cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease to measure real-time NO production in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The method bypasses the blood-brain barrier, which often makes blood-based biomarkers unreliable for brain conditions.