One will suffice test of blood to detect the diseaseAlzheimer. The new diagnostic method was developed by a group of researchers also Italianfrom the University of Brescia together with colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh (United States) and the University of Gothenburg (Sweden).
their results, published in the journal «Brain»show that the new biomarker, based on an antibody that specifically binds to protein value produced in the brain, it surpasses current tests used to detect neurodegeneration related to Alzheimer’s.
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Alzheimer’s, a new less invasive test
Until now, a brain scan or analysis of cerebrospinal fluid was used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. But “these tests are expensive and many patients don’t have access to them,” says senior author Thomas Karikari, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. Hence the need to develop less invasive and cheaper tests.
The team then developed a technique to selectively detect a special antibody, which when present in the blood, confirms the presence of the disease. This is “brain-derived tau” (BD-Year). The researchers validated their test on more than 600 patient samples including those whose diagnosis was confirmed after death and that of patients with early stage disease.
«We could now test new population groups»
The tests worked: they showed that the detected BD-tau levels matched the cerebrospinal fluid tau levels and reliably distinguished Alzheimer’s from other neurodegenerative diseases. They also correlated with the severity of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in brain tissue, confirmed by autopsy.
The usefulness of the research will allow not only to identify the disease early and more economically, but it will be possible to expand the studies on this disease. In fact, it will be easier for scientists to enroll patients belonging to population groups hitherto excluded from research into clinical trials.
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