Biomarker Testing: Piercing the Fog of Alzheimer’s and Related Dementia

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Denis Horgan
• Author: Flavio Nobili
• Author: Charlotte Teunissen
• Author: Timo Grimmer
• Author: Dinko Mitrečić
• Author: Laurence Ris
• Author: Zvezdan Pirtosek
• Author: Chiara Bernini
• Author: Antonio Federico
• Author: Daniel Blackburn
• Author: Giancarlo Logroscino
• Author: Nikos Scarmeas
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; (Croatian Institiute for Brain Research)
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; (Department of Histology and Embryology)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Basic Medical Sciences; Neuroscience
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Basic Medical Sciences; Cytology, Histology and Embryology

Abstract (english)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementia is one of the growing threats to the sustainability of health and care systems in developed countries, and efforts to find therapies have had scant success. The main reasons for this are lack of efficient therapy, which is linked to too late discovery of the disease itself. With this in mind, biomarkers are recognised as an element which can bring a major contribution to research, helping elucidate the disease and the search for treatments. They are also playing an increasing role in early detection and timely diagnosis, which are considered the principal hopes of effective management in the absence of an effective drug. The current arsenal of biomarkers could already, if more widely deployed, provide an effective minimum service to patients and health systems. A concerted action by policy makers and stakeholders could drive progress in access to AD biomarker testing to provide an optimum service in the medium term. This paper discusses how to improve the use of and access to biomarker testing in the detection and diagnosis of AD and other diseases featuring dementia, and how EU healthcare systems could benefit. It outlines the challenges, lists the achievements to date, and highlights the actions needed to allow biomarker testing to deliver more fully on their potential in AD.

• Keywords (english): Alzheimer's disease; Biomarkers; Diagnosis
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Biomedicine Hub
• Numbering: vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 19-40
• e-ISSN: 2296-6870
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000511233
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:208441
• Publication: 2020-11-23
• Document URL: https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/511233
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2021-07-02 09:56:27