ONE OF THE FIRST BLOOD TEST KIT TO DETECT ALZHEIMER’S APPROVED IN JAPAN

Tue 27 December 2022:

Japan has approved a blood test kit to measure Alzeihmers, which affects millions of individuals worldwide, according to a statement from the manufacturer Sysmex Corporation on Thursday.

The company is working to create a kit that is affordable, can detect the accumulation of a protein to treat the disease, and can be introduced to the market as quickly as possible because the current diagnosis is expensive and intrusive.

The company said, “Sysmex has been developing a technology to more quickly and readily identify the accumulation of (amyloid beta) in the brain in order to solve issues in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.”

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It added, “Unlike conventional testing methods… (the kit) allows testing with blood, thus reducing the physical, emotional, and financial burden on patients.”

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that destroys one memory and other important memory. There are two critical points for it, tau and amyloid beta which build up into tangles and plaques causing brain cells to die and leading to brain shrinkage.

A US-based group, the Alzheimer Association, said that if successful the firm is set to revolutionise the diagnostic process for Alzheimer’s and other dementia.

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It said, “an urgent need exists for simple, inexpensive, non-invasive and easily available diagnostic tools such as blood tests to diagnose the disease”.

Medical experts and researchers are working on developing an effective tool to diagnose the disease.

Last month, a drug called ‘lecanemab’ successfully slowed cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients by nearly 27 per cent during an 18-month trial period.

But the data also showed that it has adverse effects including brain bleeds and swelling.