FDA clears first blood test for use in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new blood test that could help doctors diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease faster and more accurately.

According to the FDA, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s Disease, and this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million.

The test is for people 55 and older who already have memory issues or signs of the disease. The results would show whether the person’s brain contains amyloid plaque clumps of a toxic protein thought to be a key indicator of Alzheimer’s. Right now, PET scans or spinal taps are the gold standard for detecting these amyloid plaques.

But this new blood test could be less invasive and produce faster results.

“So now, we can increase our accuracy in making this diagnosis,” Dr. Greg Cooper with the Norton Neuroscience Institute said. “We can more quickly identify people that would be eligible for treatments that can slow down the course of this disease, and it’s a way that’s going to be much more widely available and acceptable to patients.”

He said if all goes well, these tests could be available to patients in a matter of months.

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