by Max Dakara
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disease which eventually leads to a loss of memory — commonly known as dementia — and is attributed to be the leading cause for the condition. AD usually appears in individuals aged 65 or above and progresses through three distinct stages of severity: mild, moderate, and severe. Roughly 44 million people across the globe suffer from the disease and impose a financial burden on caregivers of patients and government programs that aim to support patients suffering from AD.
Individuals are usually diagnosed with mild AD where signs indicating the onset of the disease starts to appear such as mild memory loss and poor sense of judgement as well as instances where the patient repeats questions and spends a greater amount of time to carry out daily tasks. As the disease progresses towards the moderate stage, the patient undergoes a greater loss of memory, problems in logical thinking, difficulties with learning new things and managing themselves through new problems as well as a difficulty in communicating, reading, and counting among other symptoms. As a result, they usually require special care and intensive supervision to cope with the disease. Severe AD consists of symptoms such as being unable to communicate, weight loss, and seizures, usually being bed ridden as a result of the body progressively shutting down.
Two pathological hallmarks, how AD arises in a person, have been identified through research. This being the formation of plaques formed by a 36-43 amino acid chain known as ß‐Amyloid in between nerve cells and the formation of tangles by a protein known as tau within cells, they're responsible for keeping microtubules present in the axon stable. The formation of both is normal as people age, however, patients with AD will experience the formation of both at a greater rate which results in greater formation of plaques and tangles as well as see formation in areas of the brain responsible for memory such as the hippocampus which results in damage to the neurons in these areas.
1HZ3 - ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AMYLOID-BETA PEPTIDE (RESIDUES 10-35)
Detection of the condition is usually determined through two methods - Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans or through cerebrospinal fluid acquired from the patient via a spinal fluid tap. These options for the detection of AD are expensive procedures and to observe and study AD in a population, especially in large cities, it is impossible as a result of resource availability as well as the barrier that the cost of these procedures bring about. As a result, to assess the rate at which the disease progresses in an individual becomes a challenge using these methods which leads to some being unable to be diagnosed earlier as a result of these barriers and unable to alter potential therapies according to the patient's needs in time. Lastly, these procedures are invasive and can place a great burden on people deciding to take these tests.
An alternative method for detection of biomarkers such as ß‐Amyloid and tau can be done through a blood test as they are detectable within the blood. However, a challenge arises due to the lower concentrations of these biomarkers within the blood compared to cerebrospinal fluid which means much more sensitive technology has to be developed in order to detect these biomarkers in the blood. This has come about through the development of blood tests such as the PrecivityAD which detects ß‐Amyloid levels and Simoa which measures the levels of phosphorylated-tau181, both of which are approved by the FDA.
These blood tests are considered to be accurate with the PrecivityAD being capable to correctly predict the amount of amyloid plaques that patient's have 81% of the time. In addition to this, the cost of the blood test is roughly the same amount but with insurance, it can significantly become much more accessible for many people and as a result allow for earlier diagnosis. Clinical trials for potential treatment or therapies become cheaper as a result of this and allows volunteers for them to be screened in a much more efficient manner which can bring about a great progression in the development of possible cures for AD.
Even if at this current moment where a cure for AD is still in the works, progress in the detection of the disease can help a long way in providing the adequate treatment needed for individuals at risk or starting to have an onset of the disease. Research for a possible cure becomes a cheaper and substantially more efficient process which allows for greater progress to take place to reach the goal of developing a cure much earlier.
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