Scientists Are Closer to Developing a Blood Test for Alzheimer’s

Rebecca Lewis July 30, 2013

Until now, there is no definitive test for Alzheimer’s disease. Doctors only rely on cognition tests and brain scans when diagnosing patients. But researchers believed that they are close to developing one, in a form of a blood test.

One of the main goals of Alzheimer’s research is to find ways to detect the disease earlier – before the symptoms start to show and before the disease destroys most parts of the brain. In a new study, researchers at Saarland University in Germany were able to distinguish tiny fragments of genetic material in the blood which according to them, could help identify patients with Alzheimer’s. For their study, the team analysed microRNAs (fragments of genetic code) in healthy individuals and those with Alzheimer’s disease.

They found 12 microRNAs in the blood of people with different levels of the brain-wasting disease. When matched with the actual data, the test was 93% accurate.

“Not now”

However, the researchers call for more investigations to improve the accuracy of the potential screening test and to see whether it can be considered as another way of diagnosing patients. "This is an interesting approach to studying changes in blood in Alzheimer’s and suggests that microRNAs could be playing a role in the disease.” said Dr Eric Karran of the Alzheimer’s Research UK. He explained that the study highlights the importance of continuing research efforts to understand the role of microRNAs to Alzheimer’s, but its translation into a blood test is still ‘some way off’.

"A blood test to help detect Alzheimer’s could be a useful addition to a doctor’s diagnostic armoury, but such a test must be well validated before it’s considered for use. We need to see these findings confirmed in larger samples and more work is needed to improve the test’s ability to distinguish Alzheimer’s from other neurological condition.” he added.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia – a group of symptoms associated with a decline in cognitive function, affecting a person’s memory and behaviour. This disease remains to be a challenge in the field of research. Its true cause has not been discovered yet although it is linked to increasing age, genetics, severe head injury, and lifestyle factors associated with vascular disease. According to the charity Alzheimer’s Society, there are 800,000 people with dementia in the UK but only 44% receive diagnosis. If the blood test would be developed soon, more lives could be saved from this debilitating illness.

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Alzheimer’s blood test edges closer