Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have covered new ground with their latest findings on Alzheimer’s disease detection. The study was published in Neurology.
According to their study, a newly developed blood test can be highly accurate in detecting early signs of the neurodegenerative disease.
The study recruited close to 500 patients as part of an international effort. Plasma samples were collected from three Alzheimer’s research cohorts based in the U.S., Australia, and Sweden.
The aim of the study, according to researchers, was to “determine the diagnostic accuracy of a plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 assay in classifying amyloid PET status across global research studies using samples collected by multiple centers that utilize different blood collection and processing protocols.”
The study unveiled how a simple blood test may detect amyloid plaques that are indicative of Alzheimer’s. The test may serve as an early predictor of Alzheimer’s.
“Plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 is a robust measure for detecting amyloid plaques and can be utilized to aid in the diagnosis of AD, identify those at risk for future dementia due to AD, and improve the diversity of populations enrolled in AD research and clinical trials,” the authors explained in their study.
“This study provides Class II evidence that plasma Aβ42/Aβ40, as measured by a high precision IPMS assay, accurately diagnoses brain amyloidosis in both cognitively unimpaired and impaired research participants.”
