The Murky Role of Amyloid in the Brain

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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It is clear that beta-amyloid plays some role in Alzheimer's disease.  Most experts in the field believe that plaques of this protein are the key culprits, causing the death of brain cells and declining cognitive capacity.  But to be sure, there is still a lot we don't understand about how Alzheimer's disease progresses.

As testimony to this lack of clarity, data presented at the 5th annual Human Amyloid Imaging meeting, held last month in Miami, raised as many questions as were answered.  An excellent summary of the presentations is available at the Alzheimer Research Forum.

Of particular note, certain studies showed that amyloid accumulates in the brain throughout the disease course with some maximal load manifesting in the latest stages of dementia.  Other studies showed that plaque formation began several years before the first symptoms of the disease and leveled off around the time of first symptoms.  One of the largest data sets, from Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, suggested that variability of amyloid levels across individuals was so great, that group averages would continue to obscure the picture until more data is collected.

At the end of the day, amyloid will remain a target of intense scientific scrutiny until a better understanding of Alzheimer's pathology, and the role of amyloid, are both more completely understood.

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What Next for PET Imaging and Alzheimer's Diagnosis?

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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Last week we noted here that Mayo Clinic had named certain bio-markers, specifically those agents that bind to amyloid plaques in the brain and become visible with a PET scan, as the most important medical innovation of the coming year.

Such bio-markers may help diagnose Alzheimer's disease with more certainty than current methods. However, many experts correctly point out that, down the road, cheaper and more practical tests based on blood or cerebral spinal fluid samples, might offer equal benefits in a more pragmatic approach. In fact, changing protein levels in the blood and spinal fluid are likely, according to current theories, to show changes prior to plaque formation in the brain and therefore, might offer even earlier diagnosis than PET scans.

Interestingly, Eli Lilly announced yesterday that they are acquiring Avid Radio Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the PET tracer agent that is likely to be the first to gain FDA approval in early 2011. Given an acquisition price of up to $800 million (depending on achievement of certain milestones), for a company with no sales, it is safe to say that big pharma is sold on the value of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease with PET imaging.

The benefits of using bio-markers and PET imaging to diagnose AD, to detect changes in the brain during research, and to evaluate the effect of drugs in clinical trial, are all positive steps in our collective battle to reign in this terrible disease. But I am looking forward to even bigger steps and better solutions that seem to be following closely behind this exciting advance.

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A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share button below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.

Diagnosing Alzheimer's with PET Imaging

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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The Mayo Clinic has concluded its 2010 Medical Innovation Summit and released it's annual list of top Medical Innovations.

Coming in at number 1 on their Top 10 list is: New molecular imaging biomarker for early detection, prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, they are referring to AV-45, a radioactive agent developed by Avid Radiopharmaceuticals.

This science has been under development for quite some time and is expected to receive FDA approval in early 2011. The concept is to inject a tracer agent into the blood stream that will make it's way to the brain, bind with amyloid plaques, and light up in a PET scan. This will make the presence of amyloid in the brain more visible.

Since amyloid is a key pathological indicator (if not the cause) of Alzheimer's disease, gaining an understanding of amyloid load in the brain is useful in several regards. It can indicate the presence of AD pathology at an early stage, even before major cognitive deficits have emerged and could allow for earlier detection and timely intervention against this progressive disease process. It could be useful in measuring treatment effects which could accelerate clinical trials and bring better drugs to market more rapidly. And finally, it could potentially be used in identifying preventative agents that block or reverse the build-up of amyloid in the brain.

Similar technologies are also under development from GE and Bayer and will likely make important contributions in the global battle to thwart Alzheimer's disease in the coming decade.
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A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share buttons below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.