Methods and compositions for the diagnosis of alzheimer's disease

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for the diagnosis of subjects that have or are at risk of having Alzheimer's disease (AD). In particular the present invention identifies individuals who have or are at risk of having AD through measurement of the levels of Afamin in combination with at least one other biomarker such as Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, Alpha-2- macroglobulin, ApoB 100, Complement C5, Serine threonine protein kinase TBK1 or Complement C3 in a fluid sample taken from a subject. Furthermore, genotype (ApoIipoprotein E or glutathione S-transferase Omega) may also be taken into consideration and used within classification algorithms to determine the probability of a subject having or being at risk of having AD.

Description

Background of the invention [0001] Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder currently identified by progressive cognitive impairment and memory loss leading to severe dementia. AD is a typical senile disease, mainly prevalent in people over 65 years old. It is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, and as life expectancy increases, its prevalence among this population will only begin to increase. AD is not typically a life-threatening disease, but as the disease progresses to severe dementia, patients are unable to take care of themselves and often require full-time professional care. [0002] There is currently no known cure for AD, but there are treatments that can slow the progression of the disease. A method that would therefore be able to identify AD patients and possibly monitor their response to treatment would be a very useful assay (a tool for clinicians). [0003] Existing methods for AD diagnosis include psychiatric evaluation (eg, ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, the clinical utility of these methods has not been found, and there is an urgent need for a method that can be used routinely to aid in the diagnosis of AD

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