July 15, 2019
In what would be a revolutionary scientific development, researchers announced that a long-sought blood test for screening of Alzheimer's disease — the most common form of dementia — is nearing.
About six research groups presented new results for various experimental Alzheimer’s screening tests on Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Los Angeles.
One test in development displayed a “very promising” 88 percent accuracy rate in identifying Alzheimer’s risk, the Associated Press reports.
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The ultimate goal is to give doctors a cheap and less-invasive test to use during routine exams to gauge who needs more extensive testing, per the AP. Experts believe a blood test could get the right people into exploratory studies sooner.
The test of particular interest measures abnormal versions of the protein that forms the plaques in the brain that are an indicator of Alzheimer’s. On Monday, the Japanese research team presented the results of its 201-person study: The test correctly identified 92 percent of people who had Alzheimer’s and correctly ruled out 85 percent who did not, for an overall accuracy of 88 percent, AP reports.
Check out the full Associated Press report on Alzheimer’s blood tests here.
