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
Sign In
Advertise with Us
BIO-RAD LABORATORIES

Download Mobile App




Blood Test Could Detect Alzheimer's 10 Years Before Symptoms Show

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 12 Jan 2023
Print article
Image: Blood-based markers may reveal Alzheimer disease 10 years before symptoms show (Photo courtesy of Pexels)
Image: Blood-based markers may reveal Alzheimer disease 10 years before symptoms show (Photo courtesy of Pexels)

Alzheimer disease accounts for 60 to 70% of all dementia cases. In patients with Alzheimer disease, the abnormal accumulation of the proteins beta-amyloid and tau causes degeneration of nerve cells in the brain. With time, the number of damaged brain neurons increases, affecting cognitive functions like memory and speech. While Alzheimer disease progresses slowly, biological changes in the brain start taking place 20 to 25 years before the patients start exhibiting memory loss and other cognitive symptoms. Hence, early diagnosis can enable the right treatment to be started without delay. Now, a new study on an inherited form of Alzheimer disease has shown that a protein called GFAP is a potential biomarker for very early stages of the disease and could allow for its earlier detection.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden) along with their colleagues have been investigating biomarkers in blood for initial pathological changes in a rare and inherited form of Alzheimer disease that comprises less than 1% of all cases. Those having a parent with Alzheimer disease due to a mutation have a 50% risk of developing the disease. In their study of data collected between 1994 and 2018, the researchers analyzed 164 blood plasma samples from 33 mutation carriers and 42 relatives who did not have the inherited pathogenic predisposition. The results revealed clear changes of several blood protein concentrations in those carrying the mutation.

“Our results suggest that GFAP, a presumed biomarker for activated immune cells in the brain, reflects changes in the brain due to Alzheimer disease that occur before the accumulation of tau protein and measurable neuronal damage,” said the study’s first author Charlotte Johansson, doctoral student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet. “In the future it could be used as a non-invasive biomarker for the early activation of immune cells such as astrocytes in the central nervous system, which can be valuable to the development of new drugs and to the diagnostics of cognitive diseases.”

“The first change we observed was an increase in GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) approximately ten years before the first disease symptoms,” added the study’s last author Caroline Graff, professor at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet. “This was followed by increased concentrations of P-tau181 and, later, NfL (neurofilament light protein), which we already know is directly associated with the extent of neuronal damage in the Alzheimer brain. This finding about GFAP improves the chances of early diagnosis.”

Related Links:
Karolinska Institutet

Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
Magnetic Bead Separation Modules
MAG and HEATMAG
Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Test
GPP-100 Anti-CCP Kit
Gold Member
ADAMTS-13 Protease Activity Test
ATS-13 Activity Assay

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: The 3D printed miniature ionizer is a key component of a mass spectrometer (Photo courtesy of MIT)

3D Printed Point-Of-Care Mass Spectrometer Outperforms State-Of-The-Art Models

Mass spectrometry is a precise technique for identifying the chemical components of a sample and has significant potential for monitoring chronic illness health states, such as measuring hormone levels... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The CAPILLARYS 3 DBS devices have received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance (Photo courtesy of Sebia)

Next Generation Instrument Screens for Hemoglobin Disorders in Newborns

Hemoglobinopathies, the most widespread inherited conditions globally, affect about 7% of the population as carriers, with 2.7% of newborns being born with these conditions. The spectrum of clinical manifestations... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: Exosomes can be a promising biomarker for cellular rejection after organ transplant (Photo courtesy of Nicolas Primola/Shutterstock)

Diagnostic Blood Test for Cellular Rejection after Organ Transplant Could Replace Surgical Biopsies

Transplanted organs constantly face the risk of being rejected by the recipient's immune system which differentiates self from non-self using T cells and B cells. T cells are commonly associated with acute... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: Comparison of traditional histopathology imaging vs. PARS raw data (Photo courtesy of University of Waterloo)

AI-Powered Digital Imaging System to Revolutionize Cancer Diagnosis

The process of biopsy is important for confirming the presence of cancer. In the conventional histopathology technique, tissue is excised, sliced, stained, mounted on slides, and examined under a microscope... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.