From Google news - On April 11, 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a breakthrough device designation to Roche's Elecsys pTau217 blood test, which is being developed in collaboration with Eli Lilly. The test is intended to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease earlier by identifying the presence or absence of amyloid pathology, a pathological feature of the disease.
The test looks for and measures phosphorylated fragments of the brain protein tau, known as pTau-217, in the plasma of people aged 60 and older. A positive result indicates a high likelihood of having Alzheimer's characteristic amyloid plaques, which can be confirmed through a PET scan or cerebrospinal fluid analysis. A negative result can help rule out the possibility of Alzheimer's.
Once approved, the test could help healthcare providers identify patients who may be eligible for therapies targeting amyloid-beta or participation in clinical trials.
On a personal note, my father had well-developed alzheimers when he died and scientists do say that there is a genetic link, so I'll be keeping an eye on this for all of us...
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Forgetful? Y'know, Giusepp', that happens only when your Name That Dame game features a woman I know but my brain refuses to dredge up her moniker.
ReplyDeleteThose on the naturopathic side of the discussion have presented evidence that Alzheimer's has more to do with glucose metabolism (type 3 diabetes) than anything else, that the plaques are the brain's defense against inflammation and removal of them does NOT address the underlying issues. But since the feds started shoveling money at researchers, the sole focus has been on the plaques and the profits. A profitable test will just mean more profits for more treatments that will likely not truly address anything in a meaningful way. And my mom died of Alzheimer's and my sister in law has it now. Just not trusting bigPharma do do anything meaningful.
ReplyDeleteSo we shouldn't have a test?
ReplyDelete