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The Pathologist / Issues / 2018 / Sep / Better Biomarkers for AD R&D
Neurology Clinical care Microscopy and imaging Laboratory management Precision medicine Neurology Screening and monitoring

Better Biomarkers for AD R&D

Priming diagnostics for the future of Alzheimer’s disease research and treatment

By Carlo Medici 09/13/2018 1 min read
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5 Key Takeaways
  • 1

    Drug development for Alzheimer’s disease has faced significant challenges, with a need for early detection and intervention before symptoms manifest.

  • 2

    Valid biomarkers are essential for detecting Alzheimer’s disease, stratifying patients, and monitoring treatment success in clinical trials.

  • 3

    The FDA has proposed a biomarker-based approach to guide drug development, allowing for approval based on surrogate biomarker measurements.

  • 4

    Three general groups of biomarkers related to Alzheimer’s disease include beta-amyloid plaques, pathologic tau protein, and neuronal degeneration indicators.

  • 5

    Only beta-amyloid and pathologic tau are specific indicators of Alzheimer’s disease, proposed for a biomarker-based definition for research purposes.

This content is an AI-generated, fully rewritten summary based on a published scholarly article. It does not reproduce the original text and is not a substitute for the original publication. Readers are encouraged to consult the source for full context, data, and methodology.

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References

  1. US Food and Drug Administration, “Early Alzheimer’s Disease: Developing Drugs for Treatment” (2018). Available at: https://bit.ly/2o96fnl. Accessed August 17, 2018. T Jonsson et al., “A mutation in APP protects against Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline”, Nature, 488, 96–99 (2012). PMID: 22801501. H Martiskainen et al., “Decreased plasma β-amyloid in the Alzheimer’s disease APP A673T variant carriers”, Ann Neurol, 82, 128–132 (2017). PMID: 28556232. CR Jack Jr et al., “NIA-AA Research Framework: Toward a biological definition of Alzheimer’s disease”, Alzheimers Dement, 14, 535–562 (2018). PMID: 29653606. ER Fantoni et al., “A systematic review and aggregated analysis on the impact of amyloid PET brain imaging on the diagnosis, diagnostic confidence, and management of patients being evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease”, J Alzheimers Dis, 63, 783–796 (2018). PMID: 29689725. R Ossenkoppele et al., “Impact of molecular imaging on the diagnostic process in a memory clinic”, Alzheimers Dement, 9, 414–421 (2013). PMID: 23164552. P Sánchez-Juan et al., “Practical utility of amyloid and FDG-PET in an academic dementia center”, Neurology, 82, 230–238 (2014). PMID: 24353340. M Grundman et al., “Potential impact of amyloid imaging on diagnosis and intended management in patients with progressive cognitive decline”, Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord, 27, 4–15 (2013). PMID: 23203162. AS Zannas et al., “Impact of ¹⁸F-florbetapir PET imaging of β-amyloid neuritic plaque density on clinical decision-making”, Neurocase, 20, 466–473 (2014). PMID: 23672654. EM Mitsis et al., “A consecutive case series experience with [18 F] florbetapir PET imaging in an urban dementia center: impact on quality of life, decision making, and disposition”, Mol Neurodegener, 9, 10 (2014). PMID: 24484858. iDEAS, “Imaging Dementia – Evidence for Amyloid Scanning” (2018). Available at: https://www.ideas-study.org. Accessed August 17, 2018. A Nakamura et al., “High performance plasma amyloid-β biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease”, Nature, 554, 249–254 (2018). PMID: 29420472. A Nabers et al., “Amyloid blood biomarker detects Alzheimer’s disease”, EMBO Mol Med, 10, e8763 (2018). PMID: 29626112. N Mattsson et al., “Association of plasma neurofilament light with neurodegeneration in patients with Alzheimer disease”, JAMA Neurol, 74, 557–566 (2017). PMID: 28346578.

About the Author(s)

Carlo Medici

Carlo Medici is chief executive officer of Alzeca Biosciences, Houston, USA, a company developing novel advanced imaging agents for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.

More Articles by Carlo Medici

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