NIA Small Business funding seeks to find blood-based diagnostic for Alzheimer’s disease
A test for early detection of Parkinson’s disease, which recently received Breakthrough Device Designation by the FDA, may have the potential to become an early measure for Alzheimer’s disease as well. With NIH funding that includes Small Business grants from NIA, Amprion, a California-based biotech company, has developed a technology to detect very small amounts of proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid and bloodstream that could be used to detect the diseases. Having an effective, accurate, and easy-to-administer test for diagnosing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases is crucial to help develop treatments and potentially find cures for these diseases. Currently, the use of biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease in a clinical setting, such as a doctor’s office, is limited.