Posted on 08/09/2011 1:59:17 PM PDT by neverdem
The blood of patients with the brain disease contains antibodies not found in healthy people.
A new blood test diagnoses Alzheimer's disease by sensing molecules produced by the immune systems of people with the neurodegenerative condition.
So far, the test has been applied to just a small number of blood samples, but if proven on a larger scale, the assay could help diagnose Alzheimer's disease in combination with other tests, says Thomas Kodadek, a professor of chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida. It could also be used to identify patients for trials of experimental Alzheimer's drugs, he adds. His team published its results online today in Cell1.
Currently, the only way to conclusively distinguish Alzheimer's from other dementias is by examining the gnarled plaques and tangles of protein found in the brains of those with the condition. This can only be done after death. A furious search is under way for earlier, less-invasive tests using brain scans, blood draws and spinal taps, for instance.
Globally, over 35 million people suffer from Alzheimer's. There are no effective treatments for the disease or proven means of preventing it.
Most trawls for blood biomarkers typically whittle down a list of potential molecules to a few that differ between people with a condition and healthy people. For instance, Tony Wyss-Coray's team at Stanford University in California screened 120 proteins involved in cell communication and found 18 of the proteins present at higher levels in the blood of people with Alzheimer's disease than others2.
However, such 'candidate' screens rely on assumptions about which molecules are likely to be affected by a disease. They also rely on sensing vanishingly small levels of proteins and other molecules.
Slide screen
Antibodies — immune molecules in blood that stick to specific foreign...
(Excerpt) Read more at nature.com ...
If you are found to be positive does an Obama Care Wellness worker take you for a long drive down a country road?
Hell no! It’s back to the oubliette. You wait for the test. If it’s positive, a trap door opens, and you’re in a trash compacter. You think they’re going to waste gas on a ride in the country?
immunology ping
Soylent Green.
” and tangles of protein found in the brains of those with the condition. This can only be done after death. “
My dad talked about too much protein for years with his blood tests, and years later had an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
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