With funding from Parkinson’s UK and the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Barran’s team has already collected more than 800 samples of sebum, an oily substance secreted by skin, swabbed from the backs of volunteers. In preliminary tests they’ve found several molecules that are elevated in people with Parkinson’s disease. Together, the molecules could create a diagnostic fingerprint for the disease.
— Joy Milne thought her husband smelled different, starting about six years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Scientists are paying attention; read more at You Can Smell When Someone's Sick—Here's How at National Geographic.
I have heard that certain diseases tend to produce characteristics odors. This is the second time this week I have read about potential new diagnostic techniques for diseases. The other day I was reading about blood tests that may be able to diagnose several types of cancer, including several (ovarian and liver cancer among them) that do not currently have effective screening techniques.
There was a very interesting documentary about this on the BBC a few weeks ago , with contributions from Calice Becker and Givaudan.