Closing On An Early Alzheimer's Test
Scientists have been working towards a non-invasive test to detect Alzheimer's disease as early as possible for a few years now. It seems they're almost there: researchers "describe a biomarker that can accurately distinguish between Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia during the first one to two years of the disease's progression. The BRNI biomarker showed high accuracy when tested with human skin cells from a tissue bank, as well as for samples obtained in a previous, unpublished study of patients with autopsy-confirmed diagnoses. ... Many scientists have concluded in recent years that Alzheimer's effects are found throughout the body, not just in the brain. By testing for signs of Alzheimer's-related inflammation in skin cells called fibroblasts, the BRNI team has located a biomarker for the disease that can be tested without the invasive tests previously required." As for all failing machinery, early discovery of problems means that more can be done for greater benefit and at less cost.