Developed since to detect Alzheimer’s disease early, a blood test developed by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, would prove to be extremely reliable, report three medical publications.
- Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have developed a blood test that detects the protein p-tau181 in the blood, one of the biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease.
- This blood test not only makes it possible to detect the disease early, before the appearance of memory loss, but also to follow its evolution and to predict the fulgurating forms of the disease.
A simple blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease, even before the appearance of the first symptoms such as memory loss. For several years, this has been the hope of researchers who have been involved in the development of blood tests to screen for this neurodegenerative disease.
Three new publications, in journals Brain, JAMA Neurology and Molecular Psychiatry, all written by researchers at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) demonstrate the reliability of such a blood test. Developed in-house, it would make it possible to detect the disease at an early stage and monitor its evolution by measuring the biomarkers of amyloid and tau proteins, which could revolutionize the management of Alzheimer’s disease.
A test that detects the protein p-tau181
By accumulating abnormally in neurons, amyloid and tau proteins are responsible for the alteration of mental functions in patients, leading to progressive and irreversible brain damage. Then follow neurofibrillary tangles that obstruct the interior of neurons, especially those of the entorhinal cortex, responsible for the formation of memories and memory.
Until recently, it was only possible to detect these protein aggregates in the brains of deceased patients at autopsy. In recent years, biolabeling methods have enabled the accurate detection of amyloid and tau pathology in living patients in the brain using imaging methods and in cerebrospinal fluid. But the very expensive method only benefits a handful of Alzheimer’s patients.
The discovery of the Swedish researchers therefore marks a turning point. They have developed a cheap blood test capable of detecting the presence of phosphorylated tau protein (p-tau181), one of the main biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease.
This test has been tested with more than 1,100 patients, who have been followed for years.
“The recent development of blood tests sensitive to the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease is likely to provide a solution and has the potential to significantly change the way this disease can be managed in the near future”says Alexis Moscoso, co-author of the work published in Brain and JAMA Neurology.
Screening for Alzheimer’s before memory loss
In the publication in Brainthe researchers explain that they analyzed blood samples from participants at different ages to construct the temporal trajectory of p-tau181 levels in the blood throughout the course of Alzheimer’s disease.
They found that the new blood test could detect abnormalities in p-tau181 levels several years before the onset of memory loss, suggesting huge potential for early detection of the disease.
This potential was confirmed in another publication in Molecular Psychiatryin which researchers demonstrated the great clinical utility of p-tau181 in the blood in predicting future dementia in Alzheimer’s disease, even in people who had no memory impairment at the time of the blood test. .
Finally, in the third and most recent publication of the JAMA Neurology, scientists demonstrated that annual increases in p-tau181 in the blood were strongly coupled with nerve cell loss in Alzheimer’s disease as well as cognitive decline. This suggests potential not only for prediction but also for monitoring and identifying rapidly progressive forms of the disease.
“This is a great step forward that shows that blood tests for tau pathology and neurodegeneration have clinical value in monitoring disease progression in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.”concludes Professor Kaj Blennow, co-author of the work.
.
