14 DAY TRIAL // A new blood test developed by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) could be used to detect symptoms produced by Alzheimer’s disease a lot faster than ever before. The approach can set the foundation for rapid, early diagnostics methods.
Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects higher cognitive functions, including memory, reasoning, logic and so on. It is a form of dementia, and can have indirect, fatal consequences if not detected and treated in time.
As more and more seniors begin to develop the condition, scientists are struggling to figure out how to treat it, but also how to detect it as early on as possible. Having the ability to do so would contribute to reducing the costs associated with treating the dementia.
UMDNJ investigators say that their new approach is an excellent step in that direction. They explain that the device uses human protein microarrays, which enable scientists to identify specific antibodies created by Alzheimer's in the body.
The most remarkable thing about this approach is that it can detect even minute traces of these chemicals with amazing accuracy. According to the team, the method has a 96 percent detection rate.
By using it, doctors could discover the onset of the condition many years before memory loss, poor judgment or erratic behaviors develop. These are oftentimes the first symptoms to appear that indicate neurodegenerative disorders are setting in.
Another important aspect of the new approach, the team explains, is that it can easily differentiate between Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s, a closely-related neurodegenerative disorder that shares similar symptoms for a while, PsychCentral reports.
Details of the new research and the device appear in the latest online issue of the open-access scientific journal PLoS ONE. The magazine is published by the Public Library of Science. In the background story, the team reports that more 35 million people are suffering from Alzheimer's at this point.
“There’s a dire need for an accurate, relatively non-invasive and inexpensive diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s,” explains the founder of During Technologies Inc., expert Robert Nagele, PhD.
“A test that can not only diagnose the disease in individuals showing telltale symptoms, but possibly also detect the disease years before these symptoms appear would make early therapeutic intervention possible,” the research scientist goes on to say.
“This would be a significant breakthrough as pharmaceutical companies are now working feverishly to develop new drugs that can stop or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s,” he concludes.