The recent discovery of a protein marker linked to appendicitis may drastically simplify the diagnosis of the painful and potentially fatal condition. With current methods of conclusive diagnosis generally limited to expensive CT scans, the arrival of a new urine-based test could be a huge breakthrough in safe, noninvasive methods of detecting appendicitis, possibly saving both money and lives.

Harvard researchers discovered the marker, known as leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein, or LRG, was discovered using mass spectrometry to identify proteins whose concentrations differed between patients with and without appenticitis. LRG proved to be an ideal candidate, with concentrations around 500 times greater in patients with the condition. Although more testing is necessary to assess the risk of false negatives, the test is currently projected for clinic use, with home applications possible in the future.

Read more at http://www.harvardscience.harvard.edu/medicine-health/articles/a-urine-t...