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Blood proteins could lead to early detection of Alzheimer's disease

Ten proteins in the blood have been detected that could predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, according to recent study findings published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

“Memory problems are very common, but the challenge is identifying who is likely to develop dementia,” Abdul Hye, PhD, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, said in a press release. “There are thousands of proteins in the blood, and this study is the culmination of many years’ work identifying which ones are clinically relevant. We now have a set of 10 proteins that can predict whether someone with early symptoms of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment, will develop Alzheimer’s disease within a year, with a high level of accuracy.”

Hye and colleagues evaluated blood samples from 1,148 individuals including, 476 with Alzheimer’s disease, 220 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 452 elderly controls without dementia, for 26 proteins that were previously shown to be associated with Alzheimer’s disease. MRI was conducted on a subset of 476 participants.

Researchers found that 16 of the previously identified 26 proteins were strongly associated with brain shrinkage in MCI or Alzheimer’s disease.

Following a second series of tests, 10 of the 16 proteins were capable of predicting whether participants with MCI would develop Alzheimer’s disease, with 87% accuracy.

“As the onset of Alzheimer’s is often slow and subtle, a blood test to identify those at high risk of the disease at an early stage would be of real value,” Eric Karran, PhD, director of research at Alzheimer’s Reasearch UK, said in the release. “Detecting the first signs of Alzheimer’s could improve clinical trials for new treatments and help those already concerned about their memory, but we’re not currently in a position to use such a test to screen the general population.”

Disclosure: See the full study for a complete list of relevant financial disclosures.