New research has discovered a unique and promising way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (AD) earlier – by analyzing AD biomarkers in blood – so that the effects of dementia can be reduced.
AD is the most common form of dementia and is estimated to account for 60-70 percent of cases, or more than 33 million cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. AD is currently incurable and is usually diagnosed when a person has significant problems with memory and thinking that affect their daily life.
University of Melbourne researcher Dr Brandon Mahan is leading a group of analytical geochemists from the Faculty of Science working with neuroscientists from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (based at The Florey) to develop a blood test for earlier diagnosis of AD, as described in an article published in Metallomics.
In a world first, the researchers applied inorganic analytical geochemical techniques originally developed for cosmochemistry – for example to study the formation and evolution of the Earth, the moon, other planets and asteroid samples – and adapted these highly sensitive techniques to search for early biomarkers of AD in human blood serum.
They compared the levels of potassium isotopes in blood serum in 20 samples – 10 healthy and 10 AD patients from the Australian Imaging, Biomarker, and Lifestyle study and biobank.
Our minimally invasive test assesses the relative levels of potassium isotopes in human blood serum and shows potential to diagnose AD before cognitive decline or other disease symptoms become apparent so that action can be taken to reduce the impact.”
Dr. Brandon Mahan, Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne
Dr. Mahan added: “Our assay is scalable and – unlike protein-based diagnostics that can degrade during storage – avoids sample stability issues because it assesses an inorganic biomarker.”
Currently, the clinical diagnosis of AD is based on medical history, neurological examinations, cognitive, functional, and behavioral assessments, brain imaging, and protein analysis of cerebrospinal fluid or blood samples.
“An earlier diagnosis would allow for earlier lifestyle and medication changes that can slow disease progression and would give affected families more time to take action to reduce the social, emotional and financial impact of dementia,” Dr Mahan said. “It could also make patients eligible for a wider variety of clinical trials, which would advance research and provide further medical benefits.
“My research team – the Melbourne Analytical Geochemistry group – is looking for partners and support to continue this important research and development.”
Co-author Professor Ashley Bush of The Florey sees promise in the results of the small pilot study.
“Our blood test successfully identified AD and demonstrates diagnostic power that rivals leading blood tests currently used in clinical diagnosis,” said Professor Bush. “Substantial further work is needed to determine the ultimate utility of this promising technique.”
As the world population ages, the number of AD cases is increasing. The number of people with dementia is expected to double every twenty years and the global cost of dementia is expected to rise to $2.8 trillion by 2030. In 2024, more than 421,000 Australians will be living with dementia. It is the second leading cause of death in Australia and the leading cause of death for Australian women.
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Magazine reference:
Mahan, B., et al. (2024). Stable potassium isotope ratios in human blood serum for biomarker development in Alzheimer’s disease. Metallomics. doi.org/10.1093/mtomcs/mfae038