This high degree of accuracy moves the test one step closer to replacing costly brain scans and spinal taps, even if it is still in the research phase.
At this time, individuals who have a suspicion that they may be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease are typically required to go through intrusive, painful, and expensive brain scans or spinal taps before they are given a diagnosis. At that point, symptoms have already started to manifest, which means that they and their families have less time to make the required adjustments to their lifestyle and healthcare decisions. What if, however, medical professionals were able to detect Alzheimer’s disease in patients before they started experiencing memory loss?
A novel blood test that was developed by ALZpath, a medical diagnostics firm based in California, contains this concept as its core concept. At the moment, the test, which is known as the ALZpath pTau217 assay, is only accessible to research organizations. These organizations are now conducting verification of the test’s effectiveness with individuals who are at risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease. In a study that looked at the outcomes of three different Alzheimer’s study cohorts, researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden discovered that the pTau217 assay is extremely accurate and may soon be ready for use in clinical research.
Instead than needing patients to undergo brain scans or spinal taps, the pTau217 assay only takes a little blood sample from the patient. The phosphorylated tau 217, often known as p-Tau217, is a variation of the tau protein that is searched for as part of this sample. Tau and amyloid β-protein (Aβ) are both known to build in the brains of individuals who have Alzheimer’s disease, which makes them both effective biomarkers when it comes to diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. However, when blood plasma is used as the testing medium, p-tau217 seems to perform better than other biomarkers associated to Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the findings of a longitudinal research conducted by the University of Gothenburg, the pTau217 test was able to correctly identify high levels of tau 97% of the time, making it an extremely accurate technique for diagnostic purposes. The researchers highlight that the test made it possible to “improve patient management and, ultimately, timely access to disease-modifying therapies.” This was made possible since the test monitored the participants’ p-Tau217 levels as they climbed over the course of the years.
However, the pTau217 assay is not the first blood test that focuses on Alzheimer’s disease. Approximately one year ago, researchers from the University of Washington made an announcement on SOBA, a test that is designed to detect clusters of Aβ in blood samples. Another test, known as AD-Detect, was also made accessible to consumers in the previous year. However, it is not possible to utilize it for the purpose of diagnosis; rather, it can only assist individuals in determining the likelihood that they may develop Alzheimer’s disease.
It is also possible to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease using a wide variety of alternative methods. It would appear that an electroencephalography (EEG) headband that was developed in 2023 is capable of reliably monitoring people for indicators of the disease by identifying “spindles” in their brain waves. There is a possibility that a peptide developed at MIT could reduce the frequency of severe Alzheimer’s symptoms, while a medicine that is manufactured by the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly could help delay the emergence of severe Alzheimer’s symptoms. One of the most frequent supplements for bodybuilding was discovered to have the ability to protect against cognitive degeneration in the previous year. An multinational group of researchers is currently working on the development of a vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease in order to prevent memory loss from occurring in the first place.