The race to find the cure for the complex Alzheimer’s disease has been a roller coaster ride for researchers across the world. A team of neuroscientists led by a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researcher developed a test to detect a novel marker of neurodegeneration in a blood sample.
The finding of the study was published on Wednesday in Brain journal.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia and progresses with time.
According to doctors and experts, the disease begins from mild memory loss to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment. The disease involves parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language.
Currently, Alzheimer’s Disease detection involves brain scanning and lumbar puncture which is painful to the patients.
In a lumbar puncture, analysis of Cerebro-Spinal Fluid (CSF) from the spinal cord is carried out. Moreover, the method of collecting CSF is painful and patients may suffer from backache and headache after the fluid is extracted, studies show.
According to the scientists, with this new test painful CSF testing will not be required anymore.
“To develop better drugs, trials need to enroll people from varied backgrounds and not just those who live close to academic medical centers. A blood test is cheaper, safer and easier to administer, and it can improve clinical confidence in diagnosing Alzheimer’s and selecting participants for clinical trial and disease monitoring,” Prof Thomas Karikari from the University of Pittsburgh said in a statement.
The team of scientists has developed the test to detect a specific protein called brain-derived tau. This protein is specifically linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
During the study, the scientists enrolled around 600 patients at various stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers found that the protein levels found with the help of the blood test correspond to those found after CSF analysis.
Another study, published on Tuesday, conducted by Professor Oskar Hanssson, Lund University, and Professor Kaj Blennow, University of Gothenburg have analysed blood tests and found multiple blood biomarkers that were sufficient in identifying Alzheimer’s disease pathology, even in participants with no symptoms.
“Distinctive blood tests may be optimal for the identification of Alzheimer’s pathology or for monitoring of disease progression and therefore, have different roles in clinical trials” the first author of the research study Dr. Nicholas Ashton from the University of Gothenburg, said in a statement.
The findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Medicine on Tuesday.
