Researchers say they are close to completing a blood test that can accurately detect the presence of Alzheimer's disease.

If it reaches production, such a device would give physicians an opportunity to intervene at the earliest, most treatable stage.

New work has been presented at a major osteopathic convention, which utilised auto-antibodies as blood-based biomarkers that can accurately detect the presence of all sorts of diseases, and pinpoint the stage to which a disease has progressed.

Lead researcher Dr Robert Nagele from the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine says that by detecting Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms emerge, patients could be encouraged to make the lifestyle changes that can slow its development.

“There are significant benefits to early disease detection because we now know that many of the same conditions that lead to vascular disease are also significant risk factors for Alzheimer's,” Dr Nagele said.

“People found to have preclinical disease can take steps to improve their vascular health, including watching their diet, exercising and managing any weight and blood pressure issues to help stave off or slow disease progression.”

While the cause of Alzheimer's remains elusive, maintaining a healthy blood-brain barrier is known to be a critical preventative measure.

Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke and being overweight jeopardise vascular health, while blood vessels in the brain weaken or become brittle with age.

When this happens, they begin to leak, which allows plasma components including brain-reactive auto-antibodies into the brain.

Once there, the autoantibodies can bind to neurons and accelerate the accumulation of beta amyloid deposits, a hallmark of Alzheimer's pathology.

The blood test Dr Nagele is developing has also shown promise in detecting other diseases, including Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.

His team's research on the role of autoantibodies has revealed that:

  • All humans possess thousands of autoantibodies in their blood
  • These autoantibodies specifically bind to blood-borne cellular debris generated by organs and tissues all over the body
  • An individual's autoantibody profile is strongly influenced by age, gender and the presence of specific diseases or injuries, and
  • Diseases cause characteristic changes in autoantibody profiles that, when detected, can serve as biomarkers that reveal the presence of the disease.

“As osteopathic physicians, we constantly tell patients that a healthy lifestyle is the best medicine for preventing disease. We also know that many people tune out messages about nutrition and exercise until a health crisis gets their attention,” said fellow researcher Jennifer Caudle.

“I can't think of a single patient who wouldn't take steps to prevent the progression of Alzheimer's if they could directly affect their prognosis.”