Indian scientists discover blood test to identify risk of Alzheimer’s disease

A simple blood test can now identify the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease that destroys memory and other important brain functions over time. Scientists at the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) have discovered a special type of blood test for the purpose, which may be further validated through a pilot study and later rolled out for the general public.

Alzheimer’s was discovered 120 years back, but so far no cure has been found for the disease as its cause is unknown. People are not aware if they are affected by Alzheimer’s disease until symptoms such as forgetfulness are observed by those close to the patient.

“By the time the patient actually visits the neurologist, the progression of Alzheimer’s has already started. My team made this discovery and we are in touch with hospitals to conduct a pilot study for validation on a sizable population. When this pilot is completed, the test can be launched clinically in hospitals and path labs in the next 8-10 months, subject to necessary clearances. The cost should be under Rs 2,000,” Dr Pravat Mandal, Professor at NBRC told BT.

While scientists are working on a war footing to find the possible cause of Alzheimer’s, Mandal said there is a popular notion that Alzheimer’s is caused by the deposition of amyloid plaque (clumping) in the brain. However, no cure has been developed based on the amyloid theory, he said.

Mandal explained that oxidative stress is one of the possible factors and is believed to play a role in Alzheimer’s and it is related to the imbalance of master antioxidant, glutathione (GSH), and metallic deposition in the hippocampus of the brain, which is responsible for thinking and decision-making. Subsequently, uncontrolled radicals destroy the neuronal cells in the hippocampus area.

“Our team found that in the normal person, brain, and blood glutathione level and metallic profiles are balanced as investigated by state-of-the-art imaging and biophysical study using a specialised kit for blood glutathione and iron level. This study reviewed earlier clinical observations of blood glutathione and iron level of 400 patients of Alzheimer’s disease who have low glutathione and low iron level,” said Mandal.

The original study was published in the May 31 edition of the ACS Chemical Neuroscience, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Chemical Society. “It is concluded that having low glutathione level and iron level together in the blood can be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. These novel findings need to be validated with diagnosed Alzheimer’s patients across various regions before it can be deployed as an early screening tool globally,” Dr Mandal said.

When asked about his plans after the breakthrough, Mandal said he aims to start the clinical trial with glutathione supplementation involving early Alzheimer’s patients.