UC San Diego researchers published findings in Nature Medicine demonstrating that a simple blood test can detect pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) before it becomes life-threatening.
What follows is a brief summary from an article about this study published on ABC 10 New San Diego (see link below). The test identifies a specific piece of the “Notch3” receptor that appears in blood when activated. Blood cells with this receptor become clogged in the lungs, eventually causing right heart failure. The test requires just 5 cc of blood from a standard blood draw. The approach was developed and validated in approximately 700 people.
Key advantages:
- Early detection: Can identify disease presence before severe symptoms develop
- Disease monitoring: Shows disease severity and progression over time
- Treatment guidance: Rising marker levels signal when to switch or intensify medications
- Non-invasive: Replaces current approach requiring multiple invasive tests
Clinical significance: The lead researcher called this a “holy grail” – a single biomarker that can both diagnose pulmonary arterial hypertension and track its progression, compared to the current complex, invasive diagnostic process.
Next steps: Larger studies to test effectiveness across all age groups and compare with diagnostic approaches for other lung diseases.
Read more at this link on ABC 10 News, San Diego
Read the original Nature Medicine article here
Citation
Hernandez, M., Winicki, N.M., Puerta, C.D. et al. The NOTCH3 extracellular domain is a serum biomarker for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04134-3
Photo credit: Pexels