#Japan approves Alzheimer’s blood test kit
![#Japan approves Alzheimer’s blood test kit](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2020/alzheimer.jpg)
Table of Contents
“Japan approves Alzheimer’s blood test kit”
![Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain alzheimer](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2020/alzheimer.jpg)
Japan has approved a blood test kit to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, its manufacturer announced on Thursday, a rare advance in tackling a condition that affects tens of millions worldwide.
Sysmex Corporation said it was now working to get the kit, which measures the accumulation of a protein that is a marker for the disease, to market “as soon as possible”.
Existing methods of diagnosing Alzheimer’s are expensive and medically intrusive, often involving a brain scan or spinal tap.
“Sysmex has been developing a technology to more quickly and readily identify the accumulation of (amyloid beta) in the brain in order to solve issues in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease,” the company said.
“Unlike conventional testing methods… (the kit) allows testing with blood, thus reducing the physical, emotional, and financial burden on patients,” it added.
The Alzheimer’s Association, a US-based group, says “an urgent need exists for simple, inexpensive, non-invasive and easily available diagnostic tools such as blood tests to diagnose the disease”.
“In the future, they are very likely to revolutionize the diagnostic process for Alzheimer’s and all other dementia,” the group says on its website.
Last month, data showed a new drug called lecanemab slowed cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients by 27 percent across an 18-month period.
The data also revealed adverse effects including brain bleeds and swelling, but was largely hailed as offering a “real treatment option” for those with the degenerative cognitive disease.
In Alzheimer’s disease, two key proteins, tau and amyloid beta, build up into tangles and plaques, known together as aggregates, which cause brain cells to die and lead to brain shrinkage.
© 2022 AFP
Citation:
Japan approves Alzheimer’s blood test kit (2022, December 22)
retrieved 22 December 2022
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-12-japan-alzheimer-blood-kit.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on Google News too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.
For forums sites go to Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com
If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our Science category.