{"id":27323,"date":"2023-01-03T18:13:29","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T18:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/03\/scientists-develop-blood-test-that-detects-alzheimers-years-before-onset\/"},"modified":"2023-01-03T18:13:29","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T18:13:29","slug":"scientists-develop-blood-test-that-detects-alzheimers-years-before-onset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/03\/scientists-develop-blood-test-that-detects-alzheimers-years-before-onset\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Develop Blood Test That Detects Alzheimer\u2019s Years Before Onset"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Credit: Andrew Brookes\/Getty Images)<\/small><\/center>Alzheimer\u2019s is a form of progressive dementia that impacts nearly one in every 10 seniors. Given its pervasiveness and its heartbreaking nature, scientists are working harder than ever to understand the disease\u2014especially when it comes to causes and prevention. A new study out of Washington adds to this research by offering an early detection method and solidifying a potential Alzheimer\u2019s trigger.<\/p>\n

Bioengineers and neuroscientists at the University of Washington have developed a test called SOBA, which looks for clumps of amyloid \u03b2-protein (A\u03b2). Each of these clumps constitutes an oligomer, or a molecule made up of repeating units that has long been believed to be associated with the onset of Alzheimer\u2019s. Under what\u2019s called the amyloid cascade hypothesis, scientists consider A\u03b2 plaques to be responsible for triggering Alzheimer\u2019s pathology, including the neurofibrillary tangles and inflammation associated with the disease.<\/p>\n

When A\u03b2 clumps to form the oligomer understood to be responsible for Alzheimer\u2019s, it generates something called an alpha sheet, or a secondary protein structure that isn\u2019t found in nature. These alpha sheets tend to bind with other alpha sheets. Under SOBA, scientists insert a synthetic alpha sheet into blood or cerebrospinal fluid samples. If the synthetic alpha sheet finds something\u2014AKA an A\u03b2 alpha sheet\u2014to bind with, it\u2019s effectively located an Alzheimer\u2019s risk indicator.<\/p>\n

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(Credit: National Institute on Aging\/NIH)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The scientists at the University of Washington tested SOBA with 310 total blood samples. Each blood sample was from a research participant previously involved in Alzheimer\u2019s research who had not<\/i> shown signs of cognitive impairment at the time the sample was taken. By the time the team tested these samples, many of the research participants\u2014for whom it\u2019d been years since their sample was taken\u2014had been diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s. SOBA correctly identified A\u03b2 alpha sheets in 52 of 53 Alzheimer\u2019s-diagnosed participants. Perhaps more interestingly, SOBA also detected A\u03b2 alpha sheets in a few members of the control group, who later went on to show signs of cognitive impairment.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s study comes just months after a shocking report claiming that the amyloid cascade hypothesis was the result of widespread research fraud<\/a>. With an investigation into the alleged fraud still underway, some scientists are concerned that this could mean the end of the hypothesis as a whole. But the team at the University of Washington appears to believe the hypothesis holds strong, and the results of their study\u2014published<\/a> last month in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/i>\u2014suggests the same.<\/p>\n

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