Over the last decades, single plasma proteins have become established as specific, diagnostic assays for a small number of diseases, including B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for heart failure, troponins for acute coronary syndromes and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in traumatic brain injury6. The gene discussed is UCHL1; the disease is heart failure.