F E A T U R E
G ALZHEIMER ’ S OGRAPHY IN BLOOD TESTING TECTION
A blood test that analyses levels of amyloid proteins by highly sensitive mass spectrometry could help physicians establish that Alzheimer ’ s disease ( AD ) is likely not the cause of patients ’ mild cognitive impairment , finds a new study published in Frontiers in Neurology by researchers from Quest Diagnostics , the University of Florida and Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach .
According to the analysis , up to 99 % of patients with a negative result for amyloid proteins in the brain using an imaging procedure called positron emission tomography ( PET ) would likely be negative using a blood test that evaluates a ratio of amyloid beta 42 and 40 proteins ( Aẞ42 / 40 ), which are found in the brain and also circulate in the blood stream . With this level of prediction , the investigators determined the test could help reduce PET brain scan evaluations by about 40 %, with potentially substantial savings in healthcare costs for these patients .
While amyloid PET imaging is an established method for aiding diagnosis of AD , it is significantly more expensive , invasive and specialist-dependent than blood tests .
“ The findings of this analysis in a large cohort have significant implications for AD care management , because they potentially mean many patients could benefit from this type of blood-based assay that has advantages relative to current approaches ,” said co-author David E . Vaillancourt , PhD , Orchid Professor and Chair Applied Physiology and Kinesiology , College of Health and Human Performance , Fixel Institute of Neurological Disorders and Director , 1Florida ADRC Biomarker Core .
The study , Clinical utility of plasma Aẞ42 / 40 ratio by LC-MS / MS in Alzheimer ’ s disease assessment , is believed to be one of the largest published studies to evaluate amyloid blood testing for AD assessment . The investigators analysed 6,192 deidentified laboratory test results from patients whose physicians submitted specimens for testing by Quest ’ s Aẞ42 / 40 ratio test ( brand name Quest AD-Detect Beta-amyloid ratio testAẞ42 / 40 ). Clinical performance of the Quest test was established using 250 specimens
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