A new blood test could help doctors diagnose and identify the stage of Alzheimer’s.
- There are currently a few tests, including blood tests, that can be
used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s and determine which stage the disease is
in.
- Researchers at WashU Medicine have developed a blood test that can
not only help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, but can also provide
information to doctors on how far the disease has progressed.
- This builds on previous research on a new protein biomarker for tau
tangles in Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers estimate
that more than 55 million peopleTrusted Source around
the world live with Alzheimer’s
disease — a type of dementia that impacts a person’s memory and thinking
skills.
There are currently a
few tests that can be used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s
disease, such as blood tests looking for the proteins amyloid-betaTrusted Source and tau, that are associated with the condition, as well
as cognitive tests and brain imaging.
However, people are not
always diagnosed at the beginning of the disease — they can be diagnosed
at different stages,
which can influence how they are treated.
Now, researchers at WashU Medicine in St. Louis, MO,
have developed a blood test that can not only help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease
but also provide insight to doctors on how far the disease has progressed,
helping them determine the right treatment path.
A study on this new
blood test was recently published in the journal Nature MedicineTrusted Source.
New
protein biomarker for tau tangles
For this new blood test,
researchers focused on a protein called MTBR-tau243, which researchers of this
study identified as a potential biomarkerTrusted Source for tau
tanglesTrusted Source in Alzheimer’s disease in previous
research published in August
2023.
“MTBR-tau243 is a
chipped (off) piece of the protein in Alzheimer’s tau tangles,” Randall
J. Bateman, MD, the Charles F. and
Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Neurology at WashU Medicine in St.
Louis, MO, and co-senior author of this study explained to Medical
News Today. “The blood test measures this piece of tau tangles in the
blood as a measure of how many tangles are in the brain.”
“New biomarkers are
tools that allow us to track the disease in different ways,” Bateman continued.
“Just like doctors use a stethoscope, x-ray, and CAT
scan to measure different
aspects of the disease, these biomarkers enable us to measure different aspects
of Alzheimer’s disease. By tracking different processes of Alzheimer’s disease,
we can better diagnose, predict and even develop new and better treatments for
Alzheimer’s disease.”
“The new biomarker — plasma eMTBR-tau243 — reflects
changes in tau
pathology occurring in the clinical symptomatic phase of
Alzheimer’s disease and can be used to stage Alzheimer’s disease tauopathy, and
to determine if cognitive symptoms are likely due to Alzheimer’s disease tau
pathology,” added Kanta Horie, PhD, voluntary research
associate professor of neurology at WashU Medicine in St. Louis, MO, and both
co-first and co-corresponding author of this study.
“Also, many therapeutic
developments are ongoing including anti-amyloid and anti-tau drugs. We believe
that this new biomarker becomes the key to establish the plasma biomarkers
panel to stage Alzheimer’s disease, which would open the new window of precision
medicine era for Alzheimer’s
disease.”
Biomarker
up to 200 times higher in late-stage Alzheimer’s
During the study,
researchers tested study participants from three main stages of Alzheimer’s
disease: presymptomatic, early-stage with mild cognitive impairmentsTrusted Source, and late
symptomatic disease where participants have been diagnosed with dementia.
The scientists found
that blood MTBR-tau243 levels reflected the amount of tau tangles in the brain
with 92% accuracy.
Among participants
showing cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers discovered that
MTBR-tau243 levels were significantly higher for participants at the mild
cognitive stage, and up to 200 times higher for those in the late symptomatic
disease stage.
A new protein biomarker for alzheimer’s
“The
cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease is highly associated with (tau) neurofibrillary
tangles (NFTs) pathology in (the) brain, not amyloid plaques
pathology. Since we know that NFTs are more generated in the dementia stage in
Alzheimer’s disease, it is reasonable for us to see the drastic increase of
MTBR-tau243 in the dementia stage compared to the preclinical Alzheimer’s disease
stage, which suggests the validation to characterize the plasma MTBR-tau243
biomarker as the tau NFTs-specific biomarker.”— Kanta Horie, PhD
“The significance of finding increasing amounts of
MTBR-243 related to Alzheimer’s symptoms — memory loss and thinking impairment
— is (that) this discovery now allows us to track the clinical symptoms of
Alzheimer’s disease with a blood test,” Bateman explained.
Blood
tests: Next step in Alzheimer’s diagnosis and treatment
“This
new blood test can confirm the amount of tau tangles in the brain that helps
determine the stage of Alzheimer’s disease and if cognitive decline is likely
due to Alzheimer’s disease. This test can be used to accelerate new treatments,
and with further validation, improve diagnosis and stage of Alzheimer’s
disease.”
— Randall J. Bateman, MD
MNT spoke with Manisha Parulekar, MD, FACP, AGSF, CMD,
director of the Division of Geriatrics at Hackensack University Medical Center
and co-director of the Center for Memory Loss and Brain Health at Hackensack
University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this study.
Parulekar commented that
this blood test represents a logical next step in Alzheimer’s diagnosis and
treatment, building upon previous research and addressing significant unmet
needs.
“Scientists have identified key biomarkers
associated with Alzheimer’s, such as amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles in
the brain,” she explained. “Earlier diagnostic methods, like PET
scans and cerebrospinal fluid analysis, could detect
these biomarkers, but they are expensive, invasive, and not readily
accessible.”
“A
blood test offers a much simpler and less costly alternative. There’s a growing
understanding that early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, which is a complex process,
is crucial for effective intervention. Current treatments, while limited, may
be more beneficial in the early stages of the disease. A readily available
blood test could enable much earlier detection than current methods, allowing
for earlier intervention and potentially slowing disease progression.”— Manisha
Parulekar, MD, FACP, AGSF, CMD
“The initial study needs
to be replicated in larger and more diverse populations to confirm its accuracy
and reliability across different demographics, ethnicities, and stages of the
disease,” Parulekar added. “This includes testing individuals with other
neurological conditions to ensure specificity. Clear and standardized protocols
for blood collection, processing, and analysis must be established to ensure
consistent and reproducible results across different laboratories and
healthcare settings.”
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