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AD/PD 2021 | Blood and CSF biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease

Advances in Alzheimer’s disease research have led to the development of biomarkers that can trace the disease at the biological level since an early phase. Colin L. Masters, MD, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Australia, discusses the latest developments concerning blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. They are revolutionizing the field as they can trace the disease before the neuroimaging PET signal changes. These biomarkers can greatly improve Alzheimer’s disease detection, which will impact the treatment and prevention of the disease. This interview took place during the AD/PD™ 2021 conference.

Transcript (edited for clarity)

These biomarkers, blood and CSF and imaging biomarkers, if you consider imaging a biomarker, these are revolutionizing the field of Alzheimer’s disease. We know that the blood and CSF are changing before the PET amyloid signals change, possibly by 5 to 10 years before the PET signal. And this is going to revolutionize the field, because it means that we will be able to identify subjects by looking at their blood biomarkers, possibly as early as 5 to 10 years before the neuroimaging PET signals change, and that means that we will discover individuals in their mid to late forties or early fifties who are beginning to change in their blood...

These biomarkers, blood and CSF and imaging biomarkers, if you consider imaging a biomarker, these are revolutionizing the field of Alzheimer’s disease. We know that the blood and CSF are changing before the PET amyloid signals change, possibly by 5 to 10 years before the PET signal. And this is going to revolutionize the field, because it means that we will be able to identify subjects by looking at their blood biomarkers, possibly as early as 5 to 10 years before the neuroimaging PET signals change, and that means that we will discover individuals in their mid to late forties or early fifties who are beginning to change in their blood.

These are the individuals that we are going to concentrate on in terms of therapeutic intervention, because these are the individuals that we want to test the different drugs that are becoming available, to see if it’s possible to delay the onset through the use of these specific targeting drugs, specifically targeting amyloid, in the prevention of this illness.

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