Dementia—a word that strikes fear in the hearts of many—may now be detectable earlier than ever before. A research team in South Korea has unveiled groundbreaking findings that could revolutionize how we diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.
Led by Dr. Young Ho Park from the Department of Neurology at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, the team has identified a potential non-invasive method for early Alzheimer’s detection by analyzing gene expression patterns in blood samples.
Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is marked by memory loss, impaired judgment, and behavioral changes. As populations continue to age worldwide, the number of Alzheimer’s cases is rapidly rising.
One of the greatest challenges is late diagnosis, which often occurs only after the disease has significantly progressed, missing the crucial window for early treatment and intervention.
With no cure currently available, prevention and early detection are key. This research represents a meaningful breakthrough, offering hope for more accessible and accurate diagnostic tools. The findings are gaining traction in South Korea and among global dementia researchers.
Currently, Alzheimer’s is primarily diagnosed through positron emission tomography (PET) scans and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis—methods that are expensive, invasive, and require specialized equipment. Because of these limitations, there’s an increasing need for simpler, more widely accessible diagnostics.
Dr. Park’s team analyzed blood samples from 523 Alzheimer’s patients, investigating gene expression changes and comparing patterns between early-onset and late-onset groups.
The results were striking: They identified 18 genes with altered expression in early-onset Alzheimer’s patients compared to healthy individuals and 88 genes in the late-onset group. Among these, the activity of two genes—SMOX and PLVAP—was significantly reduced in late-onset patients versus healthy controls.
In addition, the late-onset group showed a tendency for genes involved in the brain’s “clean-up systems”—such as energy regulation, damaged protein clearance, and intracellular autophagy—not to function properly. This finding is seen as offering new clues for understanding the pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease.
This study could mark a paradigm shift in Alzheimer’s diagnostics. Patients may receive earlier interventions and more personalized treatment plans if the disease can be detected early through a simple blood test.
Dr. Park explained, “By analyzing blood-based gene expression data, we uncover biological pathways linked to Alzheimer’s progression. This could not only improve early diagnosis, but also lead to new therapeutic targets.”
He added that the team plans to conduct large-scale clinical trials to validate these findings and explore their real-world applications.
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