Protein studies may lead to new Alzheimer’s test

A study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, published by IOS Press, entitled “Quantitative proteomics of cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Alzheimer disease,” may lead to a new test for diagnosing the devastating illness. About 4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, characterized by memory loss and an inability to use language.

“The study identified 40 times more proteins in human spinal fluid than previously known,” said Drs. Thomas Montine and Jing Zhang, co-authors of the study and neuropathologists at Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington. Montine is a UW professor of neuropathology and Zhang is a UW assistant professor of pathology. “As a result, we hope to be able to develop a much more thorough and robust test for diagnosing and predicting the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Montine.

The study employed a proteomic method developed at the University of Washington and the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. It identified more than 400 proteins in human spinal fluid, up to 40 times more proteins than identified by previous research models. On average, one of every five proteins identified was substantially changed in patients with Alzheimer’s disease compared to older people without neurologic disease. This roster of changed proteins will serve as a platform to develop specific biomarker panels for Alzheimer’s disease and other geriatric dementias.

“The implications of having more rigorous tests to diagnosis Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia are enormous and could have a huge impact,” said Montine.

Media Contact

Susan Gregg-Hanson EurekAlert!

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors