Plasma biomarker screening could improve accuracy, health equity in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis
Date:
March 17, 2022
Source:
Mayo Clinic
Summary:
A new study focuses on RNA molecules in plasma as biomarkers for
Alzheimer's disease in African Americans -- the population at
greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. This approach
enabled researchers to pinpoint specific molecules in plasma that
could serve as biomarkers to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer's
disease in this population.
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a new set of molecular markers in
blood plasma. This discovery could lead to the development of improved diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is the
most common form of dementia, affecting 6.2 million people in the U.S.
==========================================================================
The Mayo Clinic study, published in eBioMedicine, is the first study to
focus on RNA molecules in plasma as biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease
in African Americans -- the population at greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. This approach enabled researchers to pinpoint
specific molecules in plasma that could serve as biomarkers to confirm
a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in this population.
The study builds on previous research that identified genetic risk
factors for Alzheimer's disease and established that RNA molecules in
blood plasma could potentially be used as biomarkers.
In the study, researchers examined blood plasma messenger RNA molecules in
151 African Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and 269 African Americans diagnosed as cognitively unimpaired with Clinical Dementia
Rating scale scores of zero. The researchers found that when the plasma
levels of six messenger RNA molecules -- encoded by genes CLU, APP, CD14, ABCA7, AKAP9 and APOE -- were accounted for in their statistical models,
they improved their ability to accurately identify participants with an Alzheimer's diagnosis by 8%.
Researchers explain this is an improvement, compared to statistical models
that account for only the presence of known risk factors, such as age
and sex, and whether the person is a carrier of the APOE-e4 allele --
a gene known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers predict this discovery could lead to more accurate
Alzheimer's disease screening for everyone, particularly for the people
and communities at greatest risk.
"Having a comprehensive panel of biomarkers for use in screening will help
with early detection of Alzheimer's disease, and it will also contribute
to intervention strategies that can delay and mitigate the onset of the disease," says Joseph Reddy, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic quantitative health
sciences researcher and first author. "This could be especially relevant
for African Americans -- a population underrepresented in Alzheimer's
disease research -- who were the focus of this study." The researchers
predict that this discovery could contribute to the development of more accessible, minimally invasive screening options, enabling improved
disease management.
"Many screening tests for Alzheimer's disease may not be accessible
to all patients due to cost or lack of availability at health care
facilities in their area," says Minerva Carrasquillo, Ph.D., a Mayo
Clinic neurogeneticist and senior author. "Some tests rely on complex
imaging techniques, or on obtaining a sample of cerebrospinal fluid
from the patient. Obtaining a plasma sample only requires a blood draw,
which is a routine procedure in most clinical settings." The researchers indicate that future research will focus on identifying additional genetic biomarkers in blood plasma that may improve the accuracy of Alzheimer's
disease diagnostic tests.
All study participants who consented to participate in this research
are part of the Florida Consortium for African American Alzheimer's
Disease Studies.
This consortium, which was established in 2015 by Nilu"fer Ertekin-Taner,
M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic neuroscientist and behavioral neurologist,
focuses on improving health equity in Alzheimer's disease through genomic research. Dr.
Ertekin-Taner, who is director of the Mayo Clinic Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease and Endophenotypes Lab, is an author on the paper.
This research was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging
and the Florida Department of Health Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer's
Disease Research Program. This research also was supported by the Mayo
Clinic's Memory Disorders Center, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center,
and Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement Research.
The researchers declare no conflicts of interest.
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Mayo_Clinic. Original written by
Caitlin Doran. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Joseph S. Reddy, Jiangli Jin, Sarah J. Lincoln, Charlotte C.G. Ho,
Julia
E. Crook, Xue Wang, Kimberly G. Malphrus, Thuy Nguyen,
Nikoleta Tamvaka, Maria T. Greig-Custo, John A. Lucas,
Neill R. Graff-Radford, Nilu"fer Ertekin-Taner, Minerva
M. Carrasquillo. Transcript levels in plasma contribute substantial
predictive value as potential Alzheimer's disease biomarkers
in African Americans. eBioMedicine, 2022; 103929 DOI: 10.1016/
j.ebiom.2022.103929 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220317111843.htm
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