Researchers Discover New Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Disease
Researchers said recently, such tests could be available in a couple of years, fast-tracking research for treatments and offering a diagnosis for people with dementia and would want to know if they have Alzheimer's disease, too.
Scientists reported early today, a newly-developed blood test for the disease had diagnosed the condition as precisely as approaches that are far more costly or aggressive.
This is a substantial step for a long-term goal for patients, doctors, and researchers of dementia.
Also, this test has the probability of making the diagnosis more straightforward, not to mention, more affordable, and more extensively available.
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The newly developed blood tests could be available in a couple of years, fast-tracking research for treatments and offering a diagnosis for people with dementia. They will want to know if they have Alzheimer's disease, too.
The 'Blood Test'
According to the study, the test determined if dementia patients had Alzheimer's, instead of another illness. It identified, too, indications of "degenerative, fatal disease 20 years" before the experience of memory and thinking problems were expected in individuals "with a genetic mutation" that lead to Alzheimer's.
JAMA published the said study, which was presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference.
The study authors said, "Such a test could be available for clinical use in as little as two to three years." They and the other experts approximated that providing "a readily accessible way" of diagnosing if people with cognitive problems were experiencing Alzheimer's, instead of another type of dementia might need different treatment or have a different forecast.
Essentially, a blood test like this, researchers said, might eventually be used too, in predicting if an individual without symptoms is likely to develop Alzheimer's.
University of California Alzheimer's disease researcher, Dr. Michael Weiner said, this blood test quite precisely forecasts those who have Alzheimer's disease in his brain, including individuals who appear normal.
Dr. Weiner, who was not part of the study, also said the blood test does not serve as a cure, not even a treatment, but can treat the disease even minus the diagnosis. The expert added an "accurate, low-cost diagnosis is really exciting, so it is a breakthrough."
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A Test that Gives Hope for New Therapies
Almost six million people in the United States and around 30 million globally reportedly have Alzheimer's, and their positions are expected to more than double by the next three decades as the population ages.
Essentially, blood tests for Alzheimer's would offer some hope in a field that has encountered one failure after the other in its search for approaches in treating and preventing a distressing disease "that rob people of their memories" and capability to move independently.
According to experts, blood tests would speed up searching for new treatments or therapies by making it faster and more affordable to screen participating individuals for clinical trials. This process frequently lasts for years and costs millions of dollars as it depends on expensive mechanisms such as the PET scans of the brain "and spinal taps for cerebrospinal fluid."
However, the capability to identify Alzheimer's using a quick blood test would strengthen as well, both the ethical and emotional dilemmas for those who decide whether or not and they want to know if they had a condition that has no cure or treatment yet.
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Oct 06, 2020 08:00 AM EDT
