Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Alzheimer's Can Be Difficult To Diagnose, But A Promising Blood Test Could Change The Game In Years To Come
The New York Times: A Blood Test For Alzheimer’s? It’s Coming, Scientists Report
For decades, researchers have sought a blood test for beta amyloid, the protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Several groups and companies have made progress, and on Thursday, scientists at Washington University in St. Louis reported that they had devised the most sensitive blood test yet. The test will not be available for clinical use for years, and in any event, amyloid is not a perfect predictor of Alzheimer’s disease: Most symptomless older people with amyloid deposits in their brains will not develop dementia. (Kolata, 8/1)
The Guardian: Alzheimer’s Blood Test Could Predict Onset Up To 20 Years In Advance
The results of the study, which was published in the journal Neurology on Thursday, represent a potential breakthrough in the fight against the disease. “Right now we screen people for clinical trials with brain scans, which is time-consuming and expensive, and enrolling participants takes years,” said the senior author, Randall Bateman, a leading professor of neurology. “But with a blood test, we could potentially screen thousands of people a month. That means we can more efficiently enroll participants in clinical trials, which will help us find treatments faster, and could have an enormous impact on the cost of the disease as well as the human suffering that goes with it.” (Rawlinson, 8/2)
US News And World Report: Blood Test Detects Signs Of Alzheimer’s Disease With 94% Accuracy
The test uses a technique called mass spectrometry to measure the amounts of two forms of amyloid beta in the blood. The ratio of the two proteins decreases as the amount of deposits of the protein in the brain increases. Researchers analyzed data from 158 adults over several years and compared the blood test results to PET brain scans, which also screen for evidence of Alzheimer's disease. (Lardieri, 8/1)
Newsweek: New Alzheimer's Test Could Detect Signs Of Disease Decades Before Symptoms Show
Experts worked for years to find a way to measure levels of beta-amyloid 42 and beta-amyloid 40 in plasma, and published their findings in the journal Neurology. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease, and scientists do not know its cause. Identifying the condition in an individual as soon as possible can help doctors to reverse and treat some symptoms. (Gander, 8/1)
