We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBE SCIENTIFIC, LLC

Download Mobile App




Progranulin Levels in Blood Indicate Frontotemporal Dementia Risk

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 12 Mar 2009
The amount of the growth factor progranulin in the blood is a predictor of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).

Progranulin plays a major role in the survival of brain cells. More...
People who produce less progranulin have a higher risk of contracting FTD. Scientists have developed a test for measuring the amount of progranulin in the blood and thus predicting a person's risk. The blood test can be used on a large scale and is much simpler and user-friendly than current genetic tests.

The scientists also found that progranulin plays a role in the death of brain cells in other diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

The test was developed by scientists connected to the Born-Bunge Institute (BBI; Antwerp, Belgium), an institute affiliated with the University of Antwerp. BBI's laboratories are focused on the study of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementias, Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease, epilepsy, peripheral neuropathies, and muscular disorders.

Frontal lobe dementia (Frontotemporal Dementia, FTD) strikes people at an early age. After Alzheimer's disease, FTD is the form of dementia that occurs most frequently in patients younger than 65. In FTD, the disease process starts in the frontal lobe where large numbers of brain cells begin to die off. The frontal lobe is involved in regulating behavior, movement, and mood, and it is responsible for cognitive functions such as language. The first clinical signs of FTD are changes in behavior and personality, and in a later stage of the disease, the loss of memory functions.

It is still too early for medicine to combat FTD. Further scientific research is needed to determine how a shortage of progranulin can be restored to normal.

Related Links:

Born-Bunge Institute



New
Gold Member
Latex Test
SLE-Latex Test
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Rapid Test Reader
DIA5000
New
Host Response Immunoassay Test
MeMed BV
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
These images illustrate how precision oncology Organ Chips recapitulate individual patients’ responses to chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University)

Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.