A blood test that analyzes levels of amyloid proteins by highly sensitive mass spectrometry could help physicians establish that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is likely not the cause of patients‘ mild cognitive impairment, finds a new study published in Frontiers in Neurology by researchers from Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the University of Florida and Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach.
According to the analysis, up to 99% of patients with a negative result for amyloid proteins in the brain using an imaging procedure called positron emission tomography (PET) would likely be negative using a blood test that evaluates a ratio of amyloid beta 42 and 40 proteins (A?42/40), which are found in the brain and also circulate in the blood stream. With this level of prediction, the investigators determined the test could help reduce PET brain scan evaluations by about 40%, with potentially substantial savings in healthcare costs for these patients.
While amyloid PET imaging is an established method for aiding diagnosis of AD, it is significantly more expensive, invasive and specialist-dependent than blood tests.
„The findings of this analysis in a large cohort have significant implications for AD care management, because they potentially mean many patients could benefit from this type of blood-based assay that has advantages relative to current approaches,“ said co-author David E. Vaillancourt, PhD, Orchid Professor and Chair Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, College of Health and Human Performance, Fixel Institute of Neurological Disorders and Director, Florida ADRC Biomarker Core.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2024.1364658/full
