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2005 Grant - Wang

Biomarkers for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease

Rong Wang, Ph.D.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, New York

2005 Investigator-Initiated Research Grant

Having a blood test for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease would be a significant advance. Some researchers believe that distinct "protein profiles" in the blood of persons with Alzheimer's disease may be present early in the course of the disease. Such profiles, or biological markers, would be beneficial for diagnosing Alzheimer's, assessing an individual's risk of developing the disease, tracking disease progression, and monitoring an individual's response to treatment.

Rong Wang, Ph.D., and colleagues will screen blood samples from people with Alzheimer's disease who have been examined at two of the federally funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers, which conduct well-documented examinations over the course of the disease. In the first phase of the study, the investigators will use newly developed analytical tools to identify concentrations of proteins or protein fragments that correlate with different stages of Alzheimer's disease.

In a second phase of the study, the research team will determine whether these potential markers in persons with Alzheimer's also appear in the blood of people with related diseases of the brain: Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy Bodies, a combination of dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease, or a combination of cerebrovascular disease and Alzheimer's.

In a third phase of the study, the research team will assess the properties of the protein material as a step toward developing a test for a diagnostic tool.