Major breakthrough holds the key to diagnosing Alzheimer's
A new study has found that a simple blood test could be key to diagnosing Alzheimer's more quickly and more accurately.
The research, published on the Journal of the American Medical Association, was conducted by a team of scientists at Sweden’s Lund University, was based off 1213 patients there with the condition.
They found that a blood test could correctly identify whether patients with memory problems had Alzheimer’s 90 per cent of the time – making it “significantly” more accurate than cognitive tests and CAT scans in diagnosing the condition.
The test itself measures tau protein 217, which if there is an abnormal build up of both in and around brain cells, may be the cause of the disease.
“Increases in p tau-217 concentrations in the blood are quite profound in Alzheimer’s disease,” study co-author, Lund University associate professor and senior consultant neurologist, Dr Sebastian Palmqvist, told CNN.
“At the dementia stage of the disease, levels are more than eight times higher compared with elderly (people) without Alzheimer’s.”
As part of the study, the p tau-217 test was combined with one testing for another blood biomarker for Alzheimer’s called the amyloid 42/40 ratio.
Other doctors have shared their thoughts on the research findings, with Chief science officer of America’s Alzheimer’s Association, Dr Maria Carrillo, telling CNN that doctors would “love to have a blood test that can be used in a primary care physician’s office, functioning like a cholesterol test but for Alzheimer’s”.
“The p tau-217 blood test is turning out to be the most specific for Alzheimer’s and the one with the most validity. It seems to be the frontrunner,” she added.
Blood tests like this could “change the game in the speed in which we can conduct Alzheimer’s trials and get to the next new medication”.
Dr Jason Karlawish, the co-director at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Memory Centre, said of the research: “Not too long ago measuring pathology in the brain of a living human was considered just impossible.”
“This study adds to the revolution that has occurred in our ability to measure what’s going on in the brain of living humans.”
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