New predictors of disease - Molecules called predictive autoantibodies appear in the blood years before people show symptoms of various disorders. Tests that detected these molecules could warn of the need to take preventive action

Certain autoantibodies appear many years before overt symptoms of disease, suggesting that screening for these molecules could be used to predict who is at risk of falling ill. In autoimmune diseases, such as type I diabetes, the immune system mistakenly manufactures antibodies that target the body's tissues. Autoantibodies might also serve as guides to disease severity and progression and might even warn of risk for some nonimmune disorders. Screening for predictive autoantibodies could one day become routine, although a dearth of preventive treatments currently stands in the way.