Is it a superpower? Woman's nose detected a disease 12 years before doctors could. Know the science behind it
Parkinson's disease
diagnosis, thanks to her extraordinary sense of smell. Milne noticed an unusual change in her husband Les's body odor more than a decade before he was formally diagnosed with Parkinson's. What initially seemed like a personal quirk has since become the foundation for a new medical test that could potentially identify Parkinson's years before symptoms appear.
Milne first detected the distinctive scent in 1982, shortly before Les turned 32. Recalling the moment to The Guardian, she said it was a 'musky, dank odour' that wasn't part of his usual scent. At the time, she attributed it to his job in the operating theatre and even encouraged him to shower more frequently, which led to disagreements between the couple. However, the odor persisted.
It wasn't until years later, when Les was officially diagnosed with Parkinson's, that Milne realized the connection. During a visit to a Parkinson's support group, she noticed the same smell emanating from other patients. That moment confirmed her suspicion that the scent might be linked to the disease.
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Turning a Personal Loss into Medical Breakthrough
After Les passed away in 2015, Milne committed to helping researchers develop a method to harness her ability. She began collaborating with scientists at the University of Manchester, offering her assistance in identifying the smell through swabs and clothing samples from Parkinson's patients.
'Les and I should have been enjoying retirement, but Parkinson's had stolen our lives,' she said. 'We became determined that others wouldn't suffer the same way. When Les died... he made me promise I'd carry on.'
Milne's involvement has directly influenced a new diagnostic method that uses a simple cotton swab to detect Parkinson's. The swab is rubbed along the back of a person's neck—an area with consistent sebum production—and analyzed for specific compounds.
The Science Behind the Scent
Researchers discovered that sebum, an oily substance produced by the skin, contains unique chemical markers in people with Parkinson's. By using mass spectrometry, the team analyzed samples from 79 Parkinson's patients and 71 healthy individuals. Out of approximately 4,000 compounds, 500 showed significant differences between the two groups.
Professor Perdita Barran, who led the study, said the current version of the test is 95 percent accurate under laboratory conditions. The next phase involves adapting the test for clinical settings, with hopes of rolling it out in the NHS in the near future.
'At the moment we have developed it in a research lab and we are now working with colleagues in hospital analytical labs,' Barran said. 'We are hoping within two years to be able to start to test people in the Manchester area.'
A Test with Life-Changing Potential
Milne has often reflected on how an earlier diagnosis could have changed her family's life. 'We would have spent more time with family. We would have travelled more,' she said. She also believes an earlier understanding might have clarified behavioral changes in Les, including mood swings and depression.
The test, still in development, represents a major step toward early detection of Parkinson's—a condition currently diagnosed only through clinical evaluation of symptoms and medical history. Thanks to one woman's rare sensitivity, the path to earlier diagnosis—and potentially improved outcomes—is becoming more attainable.
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