We still can’t diagnose diseases like Alzheimer’s with a blood test, despite decades of trying. But scientists are getting closer. Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) are working on a blood test called the APEX system, which took two years to develop, to detect an early-stage molecular marker of the brain-robbing disease — the aggregated amyloid beta (Aβ). Their findings were published in the journal Nature. “There is currently no good blood-based method to effectively screen and monitor [Alzheimer’s Disease], and new tests that are under investigation have either poor accuracy or low sensitivity,” says Shao Huilin, assistant professor at the NUS Institute for Health Innovation & Technology, in a statement. “The APEX technology addresses both of these limitations.” The buildup of amyloid beta proteins in the brain is a key marker of Alzheimer’s, according to the researchers. The APEX test is designed “to detect and analyze the earliest aggregated forms of [Aβ] proteins in blood samples, to enable detection of AD even before clinical symptoms appear and to accurately classify the disease stages,” they said. Huilin and her team conducted a clinical study involving 84 individuals, including patients who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as well as a control group of healthy individuals. Blood sampling and PET imaging were conducted on all participants. The researchers found that the APEX sensor was able to recognize the abnormal protein aggregates from a very small amount of blood. see also How Alzheimer's patients cope with emotional turmoil after diagnosis In 2013, “Deadwood” showrunner David Milch was in New York... Still, according to the Mayo Clinic, in order to properly diagnose Alzheimer’s, doctors must conduct a variety of tests and assessments. Parts of these tests include brain-imaging usually conducted via CT scan, MRI, or a PET scan, which uses a “tracer,” a radioactive substance, to detect substances in the body. This technology, of course, is time-consuming and expensive. According to the researchers in Singapore, their test is just as effective as PET imaging and would only cost $30. Plus the results would be available in less than one hour. “The results of the APEX tests correlate extremely well with PET imaging results,” Huilin says. “The clinical study shows that the APEX system can accurately identify patients with [Alzheimer’s] and those with MCI.” The researchers are working on ways to commercialize the technology with a goal of bringing the test to market within five years. Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are also working on a blood test.
We still can’t diagnose diseases like Alzheimer’s with a blood test, despite decades of trying. But scientists are getting closer. Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) are working on a blood test called the APEX system, which took two years to develop, to detect an early-stage molecular marker of the brain-robbing disease — the aggregated amyloid beta (Aβ). Their findings were published in the journal Nature. “There is currently no good blood-based method to effectively screen and monitor [Alzheimer’s Disease], and new tests that are under investigation have either poor accuracy or low sensitivity,” says Shao Huilin, assistant professor at the NUS Institute for Health Innovation & Technology, in a statement. “The APEX technology addresses both of these limitations.” The buildup of amyloid beta proteins in the brain is a key marker of Alzheimer’s, according to the researchers. The APEX test is designed “to detect and analyze the earliest aggregated forms of [Aβ] proteins in blood samples, to enable detection of AD even before clinical symptoms appear and to accurately classify the disease stages,” they said. Huilin and her team conducted a clinical study involving 84 individuals, including patients who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as well as a control group of healthy individuals. Blood sampling and PET imaging were conducted on all participants. The researchers found that the APEX sensor was able to recognize the abnormal protein aggregates from a very small amount of blood. see also How Alzheimer's patients cope with emotional turmoil after diagnosis In 2013, “Deadwood” showrunner David Milch was in New York... Still, according to the Mayo Clinic, in order to properly diagnose Alzheimer’s, doctors must conduct a variety of tests and assessments. Parts of these tests include brain-imaging usually conducted via CT scan, MRI, or a PET scan, which uses a “tracer,” a radioactive substance, to detect substances in the body. This technology, of course, is time-consuming and expensive. According to the researchers in Singapore, their test is just as effective as PET imaging and would only cost $30. Plus the results would be available in less than one hour. “The results of the APEX tests correlate extremely well with PET imaging results,” Huilin says. “The clinical study shows that the APEX system can accurately identify patients with [Alzheimer’s] and those with MCI.” The researchers are working on ways to commercialize the technology with a goal of bringing the test to market within five years. Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are also working on a blood test.
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