A set of 15 proteins found in urine can distinguish healthy individuals from those who have coronary artery disease (CAD), reports a new study appearing in the february Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

Due to the ease of obtaining samples, urinary protein analysis is emerging as a powerful tool to detect and monitor disease. Anna Dominiczak and colleagues tested whether urine could provide useful biomarkers for coronary disease, one of the leading worldwide killers.

They analyzed samples from 88 CAD patients and 282 controls and found a 15 protein “signature” indicative of disease. Several of the protein fragments were collagens, which are components of arterial walls.

The researchers next examined how predictive their protein panel was and found it could identify the presence of CAD 83% of the time.

The panel had a sensitivity of over 98%, which means the test produced almost no false positives and thus inaccuracies are primarily misdiagnosing CAD individuals as healthy.

The researchers also observed that the protein signatures of CAD individuals became more normal after exercise, suggesting these biomarkers can be used to both help diagnose CAD and monitor the progress of treatment

Source: American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)