The study, led by the University of Washington (USA), confirms that the test, which is currently being tested, could help identify people who are at risk or who are starting to develop the disease, opening the door to its development of previous treatments. Open Alzheimer’s.
In a statement from the university mentioned above, patients today are usually not diagnosed until known symptoms of the disease, such as memory loss, appear. This is a reminder that the best treatment options right now are to slow the progression of symptoms.
But research has shown that the “seeds” of Alzheimer’s disease are “planted” years or even decades before the onset of the cognitive impairments that make diagnosis possible today.
These seeds are amyloid beta proteins that misfold and clump together to form small clumps called oligomers. These “toxic” beta-amyloid oligomers are believed to develop over time into Alzheimer’s disease, a process that scientists are still trying to understand.
In the paper published today, the University of Washington team describes a lab test that can measure the concentration of amyloid beta oligomers in blood samples.
The researchers tested the test, known by the abbreviation SOBA, on blood samples from 310 subjects who had previously taken the test and some medical records for Alzheimer’s research.
Related article: Encouraging results of Alzheimer’s drugs
At the time of sample collection, the subjects were determined to have no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, or other signs of dementia.
SOBA detected oligomers in the blood of people with mild cognitive impairment and moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. In 53 cases, the subjects’ diagnosis was confirmed by autopsy after death, and 52 blood samples taken from them years before their deaths contained toxic oligomers.
SOBA also detected oligomers in members of the control group, and these members were found to develop mild cognitive impairment as a result.
“What clinicians and researchers wanted was a reliable diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease and one that would not only confirm the diagnosis, but could also detect signs of the disease before the onset of cognitive decline,” says lead author Valerie Daggett.
“What we’re showing here is that SOBA can be the basis for such a test.”
And how does the test work? When misfolded amyloid beta proteins begin to assemble into oligomers, they form a structure known as the alpha layer; These leaves tend to merge with other alpha hands.
The SOBA core is a synthetic alpha layer that can bind to oligomers in cerebrospinal fluid or blood samples. The test then uses standard methods to confirm that the oligomers attached to the test surface are composed of amyloid beta proteins.
According to Daggett, the new platform is designed to selectively bind toxic oligomers “like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
The team is now working with scientists at AltPep, a biotech spin-off from the University of Washington, to turn SOBA into an oligomer diagnostic test.
The study also showed that SOBA can be easily adapted to detect toxic oligomers of other protein types involved in Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia.
Source: Ultimahora
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Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
