Beyond Amyloid and Tau: Blood Testing for Neurodegenerative and Psychiatric Disease
Researchers are developing a blood-based diagnostic test that analyzes RNA within extracellular vesicles to detect neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. This method aims to identify cognitive decline before physical pathology manifests, potentially allowing for earlier therapeutic intervention.
Why it matters
Early detection of neurodegenerative conditions is critical for effective treatment, and a non-invasive blood test could revolutionize how psychiatric and brain disorders are diagnosed.
Blood-based diagnostics for Alzheimer disease have advanced in recent years, with the US Food and Drug Administration clearing a test and multiple companies developing assays based on amyloid plaques or phosphorylated tau.1 Now, Navneet Dogra, PhD, and colleagues are pursuing a different target: the RNA trajectory from DNA to protein. Dogra’s work hypothesized that RNA changes might precede pathology, allowing detection of dementia 1 step ahead of the pathology occurring.
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