Blood test breakthrough in 2022 could boost Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diagnosis

CompilationTom Lee

While biomedicine has made progress in cancer and other diseases over the past few decades, neuroscience has proven to be an elusive puzzle

Oxford Parkinson's screening has an identification rate of 89%

This month, researchers at the Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre demonstrated the rationale for a potential new disease test.

The test, based on previous alpha-synuclein studies, has been shown to correctly and reproducibly identify 89% of Parkinson's patients, while also ruling out 96% of non-Parkinsonian patients

A drop of blood screening for Alzheimer's disease

C2N Diagnostics, a company developing a blood test for Alzheimer's disease, began rolling out a new test in late 2020

Although the test itself cannot diagnose Alzheimer's disease, this non-invasive diagnostic method can be used for broader clinical evaluation

Measuring certain types of tau in blood samples may be a better indicator of disease progression than amyloid beta, says Quanterix, another test development company whose technology has been used in Biogen and Eli Lilly's clinical trials

Although the test is currently for research use only, Quanterix's blood test received breakthrough designation from the FDA in October, and the company will continue to develop its potential as an aid in the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, including for those over the age of 50.

Reference source: 2022 forecast: Blood test breakthroughs set to move the needle in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's research