NEW YORK – Shimadzu, Eisai, Oita University, and Usuki City Medical Association said on Tuesday that they have launched a study to develop a diagnostic workflow using blood-based biomarkers for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease.
According to the parties, the study aims to demonstrate that use of blood-based biomarkers including amyloid peptides can improve the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's when used in a "coordinated system of medical care."
Several companies such as C2N Diagnostics, Quest Diagnostics, and Diadem are developing blood-based tests to aid in diagnosing Alzheimer's and as alternatives to PET imaging and cerebrospinal fluid-based biomarker testing for the disease.
The researchers plan to select roughly 100 individuals with MCI or mild dementia and analyze their blood amyloid peptide levels using Shimadzu's mass spectrometry-based Amyloid MS CL system. Subjects will also undergo amyloid PET imaging and cognitive function testing using tools including Eisai's NouKNOW brain health self-assessment test. The researchers will evaluate both the clinical utility of the blood markers for aiding early detection of Alzheimer's as well as the psychological impact of providing patients with this data to determine the usefulness of the markers under actual clinical conditions.
Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.