(Laura Padilla Castellanos/The Washington Post)
Excitement and anticipation are building for the use of blood tests to detect Alzheimer’s Disease. A recent article in the Washington Post detailed the work of GHR partner C2N Diagnostics and the groundbreaking research of its co-founder, Dr. Randall Bateman.
From The Washington Post:
“For C2N, the journey to this moment began years ago. It started, like many advances in science, with a few seemingly simple questions that Bateman, then a postdoctoral research fellow, asked Holtzman, his mentor. Why do people — but not other mammals — get amyloid plaques in their brains? Is the protein accumulating and not being cleared? In 2004, Bateman launched a groundbreaking experiment to measure how quickly amyloid is produced and cleared by the brain. For 36 hours, spinal catheters collected cerebrospinal fluid from several participants, some of whom had Alzheimer’s. Bateman served as his own first subject. The study showed that Alzheimer’s patients produced amyloid beta at the same rate as other people but cleared it more slowly. Bateman theorized that the clearance rates might form the basis for a diagnostic test, but ultimately went in a different direction. Brain abnormalities develop 10 to 20 years before symptoms emerge, suggesting people might be able to take steps to delay or prevent the disease. Blood tests could alert individuals to their risks, allowing them to receive a preventive therapy, if one is developed, or pursue better exercise and diet.”
Read more on the the Alzheimer's blood test research landscape.
GHR’s goal is to help patients and families live full lives in a world where Alzheimer’s Disease becomes a preventable condition. GHR aims to halt Alzheimer's disease prior to the onset of cognitive symptoms by supporting new diagnostic tools and prevention trials. Learn more about our work on Alzheimer’s prevention.
From The Washington Post:
“For C2N, the journey to this moment began years ago. It started, like many advances in science, with a few seemingly simple questions that Bateman, then a postdoctoral research fellow, asked Holtzman, his mentor. Why do people — but not other mammals — get amyloid plaques in their brains? Is the protein accumulating and not being cleared? In 2004, Bateman launched a groundbreaking experiment to measure how quickly amyloid is produced and cleared by the brain. For 36 hours, spinal catheters collected cerebrospinal fluid from several participants, some of whom had Alzheimer’s. Bateman served as his own first subject. The study showed that Alzheimer’s patients produced amyloid beta at the same rate as other people but cleared it more slowly. Bateman theorized that the clearance rates might form the basis for a diagnostic test, but ultimately went in a different direction. Brain abnormalities develop 10 to 20 years before symptoms emerge, suggesting people might be able to take steps to delay or prevent the disease. Blood tests could alert individuals to their risks, allowing them to receive a preventive therapy, if one is developed, or pursue better exercise and diet.”
Read more on the the Alzheimer's blood test research landscape.
GHR’s goal is to help patients and families live full lives in a world where Alzheimer’s Disease becomes a preventable condition. GHR aims to halt Alzheimer's disease prior to the onset of cognitive symptoms by supporting new diagnostic tools and prevention trials. Learn more about our work on Alzheimer’s prevention.
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