The “roots” of Alzheimer’s go back several years or even decades, long before the problem becomes visible
Scientists at USA announced that they have developed a new laboratory test that can measure in time in blood samples the levels of the protein beta amyloid, a key “hallmark” of Alzheimer’s disease.
To date, most patients are diagnosed with the incurable neurodegenerative disease, the most common form of dementia in the world, only after they develop clear signs of the disease, such as memory loss. But then the only thing that can usually be done is just some slowing down of the worsening of the symptoms.
Studies have now shown that the “roots” of Alzheimer’s lie several years in the past or even decades, long before the problem becomes visible. Usually these early signs are the abnormal folding and aggregation of the “toxic” beta amyloid proteins, which form so-called oligomers. Over time, these toxic oligomers develop into Alzheimer’s.
The University of Washington researchers, led by Professor Valerie Daggett, who made the relevant publication in the Journal of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS), developed the test (SOBA (Soluble Oligomer Binding Assay)) which detects its oligomers in time in the blood beta amyloid in patients with incipient Alzheimer’s, but also in those who do not have clear signs of cognitive decline, but are about to show it years later.
“What doctors and researchers needed was a reliable diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease. Not just a test that confirms an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but one that can also detect signs of the disease before cognitive decline occurs. What we have shown is that SOBA can form the basis for such a test,” said Dr Nugget.
SOBA was tested on blood samples from 310 people who, when the sample was taken, had mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s or other dementia, or were healthy. The test detected beta-amyloid oligomers in the blood of people with both moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment (which can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s but not always).
In 53 cases, the Alzheimer’s diagnosis was confirmed by autopsy after the patients’ death, and the blood samples of almost all (of 52), taken years before their death, contained toxic oligomers, which were detected by the test. But SOBA – and this is even more important – also detected toxic oligomers in the blood of some members of the control group of healthy subjects, some of whom later developed mild cognitive impairment.
The researchers are working with the University of Washington spin-out company AltPep to develop SOBA as a standard diagnostic test. They estimate that the test can easily be adapted to detect the toxic oligomers of another toxic protein associated with Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
