New blood test for Alzheimer’s disease shows promise

Scientists in the US have developed a promising new blood test that could be used to predict a person's future risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Discovered and validated by a team at the Georgetown University Medical Center, the test identifies 10 lipids, or fats, in the blood that predict disease onset. It could be ready for use in clinical studies in as few as two years, with other diagnostic uses also believed to be possible.

It has been shown to be able to predict with greater than 90 percent accuracy if a healthy person will develop mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease within three years. This represents the first time a blood-based biomarker test has been used to successfully identify preclinical Alzheimer's.

The new innovation offers the potential for developing treatment strategies for Alzheimer's at an earlier stage, when therapy would be more effective at slowing or preventing onset of symptoms.

Study author Dr Howard Federoff, professor of neurology and executive vice-president for health sciences at Georgetown University Medical Center, said: "Our novel blood test offers the potential to identify people at risk for progressive cognitive decline and can change how patients, their families and treating physicians plan for and manage the disorder."

The Alzheimer's Society estimates that dementia currently affects around 650,000 people in England, with Alzheimer's disease responsible for around 62 percent of these cases.