Replacing lumbar punctures in which a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid is extracted by a simple blood test in order to detect Alzheimer's disease is a new minimally invasive technique developed by the biotechnology company Neuron Bio based in Granada (Spain) that has already applied for the European patent.
This new tool for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's will allow the prediction of its appearance long before symptoms begin, in its most preliminary phases, which, apart from being less invasive for the patient, is also faster and easier, since only a blood sample is required from it. Once the blood is drawn, the identification of various biomarkers enables a reliable diagnosis of azheimer even before clinical signs appear .
In the creation of this new technique for early detection of the disease, leading Spanish researchers from the Ramón y Cajal y la Paz hospitals in Madrid or the Virgen de las Nieves and Clínico de Granada hospitals have participated.
“This tool will not only be useful for clinical practice, but will also be of great value for large pharmaceutical companies with compounds in clinical phases for Alzheimer's disease, since it will allow identifying the ideal individuals to participate in the trials, reducing costs and evaluate its effect on the course of the disease, thus increasing the probability of success of the new treatments ”, clarifies Javier S. Burgos, CEO of Neuron Bio.
