Quest Diagnostics Inc. said Monday the first blood-based biomarker test to assess the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is now available for consumer purchase.
The test helps assess the risk of getting the disease based on the brain protein beta amyloid, which is known to accumulate and form plaques in the brain that are linked to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
“AD-Detect is a screening test that uses plasma, the liquid component of blood, from a single blood draw to evaluate levels of amyloid beta proteins to help detect early signs associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” Quest
DGX,
said in a statement.
The move comes at a time when new treatments for Alzheimer’s are emerging. There’s also growing recognition that non-pharmacological interventions can reduce disease risk, and there’s greater medical acceptance of blood tests to aid early Alzheimer’s disease detection.
In mid-July, research released by the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam showed that testing by a simple pin prick to the finger was imminent.
A test developed by researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden was able to identify proteins and successfully detected those Alzheimer’s biomarkers in blood that had been collected from memory-clinic patients in Barcelona, transferred to dry blood-spot cards, and shipped overnight to Sweden without any special temperature controls, according to the research.
Current methods of diagnosing Alzheimer’s include positron emission tomography (PET) brain-imaging scans and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, which can be expensive and invasive.
For more, read: At-home Alzheimer’s testing is on the horizon, researchers say
Also in July, FDA approved the Biogen Inc.
BIIB,
and Eisai Co. Ltd.
ESALF,
drug Leqembi, which reduces amyloid plaques in the brain.
And Eli Lilly & Co.
LLY,
said its investigational Alzheimer’s treatment donanemab has shown particular promise in treating patients at younger ages and in the earliest stage of disease, according to new late-stage trial results released Monday.
More than six million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which is the most common form of dementia. That number is expected to climb to 14 million by 2060.
For more information: The highest rates of Alzheimer’s are in these U.S. counties, new research shows
Quest’s stock was down 0.6% Monday and has fallen 14% in the year to date, while the S&P 500
SPX,
has gained 19%.
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