In this study, researchers from Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine and Durin Technologies, Inc., led by Robert Nagele, MD, have developed a blood test that can detect an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease in patients. This test works by leveraging the body’s immune response system. “About 60 percent of all MCI patients have MCI caused by an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease. The remaining 40 percent of cases are caused by other factors, including vascular issues, drug side-effects and depression. To provide proper care, physicians need to know which cases of MCI are due to early Alzheimer’s and which are not,” said Cassandra DeMarshall, the study’s lead author, and a PhD candidate at the Rowan University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “Our results show that it is possible to use a small number of blood-born autoantibodies to accurately diagnose early-stage Alzheimer’s. These findings could eventually lead to the development of a simple, inexpensive and relatively noninvasive way to diagnose this devastating disease in its earliest stages.” To read more, click here.
