The researchers found that a new blood test was able to detect Alzheimer’s disease on par with expensive brain imaging and spinal touches.
The team, which included researchers from Sweden, published their findings Tuesday in JAMA.
The test may offer a cheaper route for Alzheimer’s diagnostic tests, though it could take years to validate as a reliable option, USA TODAY reported.
Study leader Dr. Oskar Hansson, a professor of neurology at Lund University and a consultant neurologist at Skåne University Hospital, said in a company statement that most people with the disease worldwide world do not receive a timely diagnosis, resulting in “suboptimal symptomatic treatment and care.”
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“Differentiating the pathology of AD (Alzheimer’s disease) from other types of cognitive decline is an important step in advancing our understanding of how the disease is affecting people with it,” said Jeffrey Dage, Ph.D., Senior Research Advisor Lilly and co-author of the study, in a company press release. “As research progresses and we can identify AD earlier, we hope to tailor future treatment advances to the right patients at the right time.”
The cross-sectional study of three cohorts showed that the Colombian cohort found signs of cognitive disease 20 years before the anticipated onset of symptoms among carriers of a genetic mutation.
The blood test works by measuring the tau protein as a biomarker for the disease. Plasma tau concentrations (P-tau217) were measured using immunoassays at Lilly Research Laboratories. The study noted that at least 89 percent of the cases were correctly classified.
The researchers found that a new blood test was able to detect Alzheimer’s disease on par with expensive brain imaging and spinal touches. (iStock)
The study authors said the P-tau217 test had “significantly greater precision than established plasma-based and MRI biomarkers.”
“It is a promising blood test that appears to be highly accurate and appears to detect (Alzheimer’s) relatively early,” Dr. Eric Reiman, the senior co-author who supported the research on the Colombian cohort, told the newspaper.
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Randall J. Bateman, a professor of neurology at the University of Washington and an Alzheimer’s disease researcher, told the media that a blood test that detects Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms start “is going to be transformative” for the studies. who try to stop the disease.
“If we can prevent those symptoms from appearing, that’s why we are so excited about these types of biomarkers,” he said. “And we believe that, in the right combination, these blood biomarkers will also tell us when someone will get sick. That will be very helpful in the clinic when we classify these patients.”
The researchers noted that more research is needed to improve the trial and validate the findings in diverse and unselected populations.
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