Predicting the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms is key in tackling this disease, as there is no cure in sight and no way to recover from the damage done. A new test under development announces the possibility of an estimate of up to 17 years before the first symptoms of this disease appear. The key is in some of the proteins found in the blood.

folded proteins
Amyloids-beta are key molecules in neurons that form the feared “plaques” associated with Alzheimer’s. The new test, developed by a European research team, can detect biomarkers related to protein misfolding of beta-amyloid.

The authors reported their research in an article published in the journal Alzheimer’s Association (Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association).

Combine precautions.
The test uses immuno-infrared sensors to find biomarkers that indicate the presence of these beta-amyloids. They compared this methodology with alternative tools for the detection of other biomarkers, notably the presence of so-called P-tau181 (Tau protein is associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s) and glial fibrillary protein (GFAP).

The researchers not only found that amyloid-beta biomarkers were effective in predicting disease onset, but combining this measure with the presence of GFAP made the results even more accurate.

“Surprisingly, your concentration [la proteína GFAP] “Although it does this with less sensitivity than an immuno-infrared sensor, it can show the disease up to 17 years before the clinical stage,” said Klaus Gerwert, one of the study’s co-authors, in a press release.

First test.
The researchers used data from a study involving more than 300 people over 17 years. In the first phase of the study, they analyzed blood samples from the participants. With their analysis, they were able to identify individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in the second phase of the study.

Stop the disease before the dreaded plaques.
Early detection is of paramount importance in medicine, and Alzheimer’s may be no exception. Today there is no cure or completely effective prevention of this disease. Since it is not easy to reach the brain, where it is seen, the diagnosis of this disease is also difficult. Therefore, she relies on psychiatric evaluations and tests to rule out other possible causes of her symptoms.

The developers of this new test are working on preparing it for commercialization to offer a way to stop the disease “in the asymptomatic stage, before irreversible damage occurs,” explains Gewert. There is still work ahead to see if they can achieve their goals.

Clinical trials: a wall (almost impenetrable).
The test could help solve one of the most persistent problems facing researchers. Gewert explains that what has been seen so far is that removing the plaques that cause Alzheimer’s is not enough to reverse their effects, as the damage they cause is irreversible.

An almost paradigmatic example is Aduhelm, a drug against Alzheimer’s that came out just a year ago. The treatment was not approved by the European Medicines Agency (made by the US FDA) because, despite having the ability to remove plaques from neurons, this did not translate into a real improvement in the symptoms of the disease.

This clinical disaster had significant consequences for the company that developed the drug, which stopped production.

It’s a tough time in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
As if that weren’t enough, the fight against this disease has recently entered into a debate that has shaken its foundations. Some of the important research that has been done in recent years has been questioned recently. The extent of the problems found is still unknown, let alone the results of this necessary investigation.

In any case, failures like Aduhelm’s could be an argument in favor of an in-depth review of what we know about this neurodegenerative disease, which is believed to affect around one million people in Spain alone, or 20% of the 80-year-old elderly population.

Image | Huy Phan