Researchers in Germany have identified a blood protein marker that can predict the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The test can detect thisbiomarker in the blood up to 16 years before symptoms appear, offering a cost-effective predictor of disease progression that enables earlier intervention.
Scientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and the University Hospital Tuebingen have discovered that neurofilaments, remains of dead brain cells, accumulate in the blood long before the onset of AD symptoms. Although the study was conducted in individuals with a known genetic predisposition to early-onset AD, researchers believe this blood marker could be the basis of neurodegenerative disease testing therapies.
Their research has been published in the peer-reviewed journal, Nature Medicine, which can be accessed here.
