The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the world’s first blood test to detect amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. This breakthrough is applicable to people over 55 years of age and is expected to help patients in the early stages of the disease to receive timely intervention treatment, pre-emptive treatment.
The technique, developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics, indirectly reflects the deposition of amyloid plaques in the brain by analyzing the proportion of two specific proteins in the blood, which is a typical pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease. In the past, such tests could only be done with expensive PET Positron emission tomography or a traumatic lumbar puncture to extract cerebrospinal fluid.
Clinical trials have shown that the accuracy of this new blood test is highly compatible with conventional PET scans and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. The FDA says Alzheimer’s disease now affects more people than breast and prostate cancer combined. The prevalence rate for people over 65 is currently 10% and is expected to double by 2050. This non-invasive and convenient detection technology will greatly improve the availability of early screening of the disease.
Currently, the FDA has approved two treatments for Alzheimer disease that target amyloid plaques — lecanemab and DONANEMAB. Although these drugs do not cure the disease, they are effective in slowing cognitive decline. Experts say early diagnosis combined with new drug treatments could provide a more powerful weapon in the fight against Alzheimer.