Researchers in Scotland have struck a deal with a major pharmaceutical company to develop blood tests which could detect Alzheimer's disease in the very earliest stages.
The agreement between the pioneering Scottish Brain Sciences research company and Roche Diagnostics aims to transform the ability of clinicians to identify the disease long before symptoms can be seen.
Professor Craig Ritchie, founder and CEO of Scottish Brain Sciences, will be the principal investigator.
He said: “Early detection of brain changes associated with the earliest stages of neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer’s disease through blood testing will be transformative in the way we assess, manage, and conceptualise clinically Alzheimer’s disease.
"It will open the door to interventions used very early in the course of disease that are better targeted than current treatments.
"There will be an expectation of big impacts on disease course and even prevention of the late-stage dementia syndromes associated with neurodegenerative disease."
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Prof Ritchie, an honorary professor for the psychiatry of ageing at Edinburgh University and a former chair of the Scottish Dementia Research Consortium, added that the deal was a "huge vote of confidence" in the Scottish life sciences sector.
There is growing pressure to develop tools that would enable Alzheimer's disease to be detected early and accurately as pioneering new drugs - including lecanemab and donanemab - have been shown in clinical trials to slow cognitive decline if they are used in the earliest stages.
Neither drug is currently available on the NHS, but if they are approved the health service would have to dramatically alter its approach to the disease.
Currently most patients are only diagnosed once symptoms - such as memory loss and problems with thinking and language - become apparent, but this tends to occur 10 to 20 years after initial onset.
In addition, very few patients are specifically diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease as opposed to dementia - a general term which can cover several different conditions - but the new drugs are only effective in Alzheimer's.
The only way to accurately identify Alzheimer's cases at the moment is by testing spinal fluid extracted via lumbar puncture - an invasive procedure - or using PET scans of the brain.
READ MORE: Why we are at a 'historic moment' in Alzheimer's research
However, Scotland currently has just five PET scanners - two in Glasgow, and one each in Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen - which would be unable to cope with hugely increased demand for diagnosing Alzheimer's, which is already estimated to affect around 60,000 people in Scotland with numbers set to climb.
Against this backdrop, laboratories around the globe are racing to develop blood-based biomarker tests which could be used to spot incipient biological changes which may signal neurodegenerative disease.
Some tests which screen for amyloid proteins - a potential marker of early Alzheimer's - are already being used by private clinics in some parts of the world to provide risk scores for patients, but it is unclear how accurate these are.
Dr Alison Green, leader of the Scottish Brain Sciences Laboratory Biomarker Division said: "The development of early diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's disease is important for patient management and for the on-going research into much needed treatments.
“I am delighted to be collaborating with Roche Diagnostics in this crucial area of research.
"Roche Diagnostics are world-leaders in clinical diagnostics and this will ensure that any blood test developed will be readily available to the AD community."
READ MORE: Donanemab 'significantly slows' progress of Alzheimer's disease
Dr Ashton Harper, director of medical affairs for Roche Diagnostics in the UK and Ireland added: “Alzheimer’s Disease is the major cause of dementia, which is currently the leading cause of death in the UK.
"Early and accurate diagnosis of this condition has numerous advantages such as appropriate and timely management of symptoms, access to clinical trials and enabling future planning.
"Earlier diagnosis may also delay the need for residential care and reduce costs for health and social care.
“We are proud that through partnerships, like this one with Scottish Brain Sciences, Roche is driving the innovation which will help to deliver a future where early and accurate diagnosis is available to benefit all individuals and families affected by this terrible disease.”
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