Alzheimer’s Study Focuses On Biomarker Possibilities

As far as Alzheimer’s is concerned there is a very real need to learn as much about the disease and the ways in which biomarkers can aid early detection as possible. Dementia is a growing problem in Britain and about 60,000 people die as a direct cause of the disease every single year. There are estimated to be in the region of 750,000 people in the UK suffering currently, according to figures released by the Alzheimer’s Society, and this number is expected to hit one million by 2025.

Countries with an increasingly elderly population have much to fear. The spread of dementia and diseases such as Alzheimer’s is very real, and the potential cost to society in some countries is expected to be huge. It’s for these reasons that research into Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is so important.

A research project taking place in America has suggested that it is possible to detect the protein beta-amyloid in people’s brains during life. This biomarker is currently used in post–mortems to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease by testing deposits in the brain, but it has so far not been possible to test for beta-amyloid in the brain during life. However, results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that by using a certain type of molecular imaging scan, it is indeed possible.

The study, which looked at 29 people in the primary analysis group, found that in 96 per cent of cases there was a correlation between the imaging results and the presence and quantity of beta-amyloid found in the brain during post-mortem tests. The imaging test was also carried out on 74 young people, presumed not to have amyloid in their brains. All 74 results came back negative.

While the report’s authors conclude that their work has shown it is possible to identify the presence of beta-amyloid in the brain during life, they say more research needs to be conducted in this area. It is now necessary to determine how molecular imaging should be used when it comes to diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease.

By: Jamie Francis

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

However, there is little doubt that biomarkers will continue to play a pivotal role, with individuals and companies all over the world doing their utmost to find new cancer biomarker and carry out biomarker research that may lead to important breakthroughs.