Chemists and psychiatrists at Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Gottingen have built a "proof of concept" test that can pick up the “tell tale” proteins - known as amyloid-beta peptides - that characterise the disease as they seep into the bloodstream.
Early results from the German pilot study, published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, suggest that the blood test has an accuracy of 84 per cent.
In a group of 141 people aged about 70, it successfully identified 21 of the 28 patients who were judged by clinicians to have Alzheimer`s.
The test also correctly identified eight of the 11 participants who had mild memory problems because of the disease.
One drawback was that it also misdiagnosed seven out of 58 people who did not have Alzheimer`s. Experts said this false positive rate would have to be improved before the test could be used for screening by the NHS.
There is at present no drug capable of stopping the physical onslaught of Alzheimer`s disease.
"If we wish to have a drug at our disposal that can significantly inhibit the progress of the disease, we need blood tests that detect Alzheimer`s in its pre-dementia stages," says Prof Dr Klaus Gerwert, Head of the Department of Biophysics at RUB.
"By applying such drugs at an early stage, we could prevent dementia, or at the very least delay its onset," adds Prof Dr med. Jens Wiltfang, Head of the Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Göttingen and Clinical Research Coordinator at DZNE Göttingen.
"The sooner Alzheimer`s is detected, the better the therapy chances. This sensor is an important milestone in the right direction.”
More about:
