At a glance:
- Remarkably high accuracy rate – over 96% for AD and 87% for
MCI;
- Applicable across diverse ethnic populations, including
Chinese and European;
- Enables early detection of AD and subsequent
progression;
- Captures multiple AD-associated biological
pathways;
- A game-changer for AD diagnosis and precision
treatment
HONG KONG, Feb. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- An HKUST-led
international research collaboration has achieved a significant
milestone in Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis and management. The
team, spearheaded by Prof. Nancy IP, President and the Morningside
Professor of Life Science at the Hong Kong
University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and Director
of the Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (HKCeND),
has developed a cutting-edge blood test for the early detection of
AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), surpassing remarkable
accuracy rates of over 96% and 87% respectively. Notably, this
blood test is applicable across ethnic populations, providing a
global solution to the diagnosis and management of AD.
AD affects over 50 million people worldwide. A major hallmark of
the disease is the accumulation of toxic amyloid beta (Aβ) in the
brain, leading to the dysfunction and loss of brain cells,
resulting in progressive memory loss, cognitive decline, and
difficulties in daily tasks and communication. The recent approval
of the AD drug Lecanemab offers new hope by targeting MCI or mild
AD-related dementia with elevated Aβ in the brain. However, the
majority of individuals with these conditions are undiagnosed and
untreated, largely due to the challenges in making an early
diagnosis. Currently, elevated Aβ can only be measured through
costly brain imaging or invasive procedures. Additionally, disease
diagnosis heavily relies on clinical observation of symptoms that
typically appear 10-20 years after disease onset, by which time the
disease has progressed to an advanced stage and is difficult to
treat. Therefore, the development of a simple blood test that
accurately identifies individuals with MCI and mild AD, while also
detecting elevated Aβ in the brain, would be a game-changer for AD
diagnosis and treatment strategies.
Prof. Nancy IP and her team at HKUST have recently developed a
blood test for the early detection of AD and MCI with exceptionally
high accuracy. In a multinational study involving individuals of
Chinese and European descent, the international research team
demonstrated the robust performance of the blood test in
distinguishing individuals with AD and MCI from cognitively normal
people, as well as its ability to detect brain amyloid pathology.
These findings also highlight the applicability of the test across
diverse ethnic and regional boundaries, showcasing its potential
for global impact.
Furthermore, unlike existing blood assays that mainly focus on a
single biomarker analysis to reveal brain pathology, the
HKUST-developed blood test simultaneously measures the levels of 21
proteins (as shown in the graphic below), thus revealing the
alterations in multiple crucial biological pathways, and achieving
more accurate classification of AD and MCI as well as close
monitoring of disease progression. This comprehensive AD profile
for each individual opens the door for the future development of
tailored treatment approaches for individual patients, known as
precision medicine, which can revolutionize the field of AD
diagnosis and management.
"Our blood test heralds a new era of simple, effective, and less
invasive diagnostics, and by expanding the scope of our research to
include diverse populations, we have taken a crucial step towards
making our test a universally applicable tool for AD diagnosis,"
remarked Prof. IP. "Our test can also be used to screen suitable
individuals for specific drug treatments in clinical studies, and
closely monitor disease progression and drug responses. In the
future, it may also facilitate the development of personalized
treatments, by shedding light on the molecular underpinnings of AD
that vary from person to person and between ethnicities."
The research was conducted in collaboration with researchers at
University College London (London,
UK) and the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center
(Barcelona, Spain), as well as
clinicians from local and overseas hospitals including the Prince
of Wales Hospital (Hong Kong) and
the Hospital del Mar (Barcelona,
Spain).
The work was recently published in Alzheimer's & Dementia:
The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association
(https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/alz.13676)
and has been licensed to a start-up company of HKUST, Cognitact
Limited, to provide testing services to the public.
Download photos of the press release here:
http://udz039.ust.hk/~meu/20240219_AD_Blood_Test
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content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hkust-neuroscientists-develop-highly-accurate-universal-diagnostic-blood-test-for-alzheimers-disease-and-mild-cognitive-impairment-302064979.html
