Early prediction of Alzheimer’s dementia by analyzing microRNA in blood
Kits show fluorescence if there are signs of Alzheimer’s
▲ Early detection of Alzheimer’s with blood test
Courtesy of Pixar Bay
Dementia is one of the important factors hindering a dignified old age. Dementia, which gradually causes memory loss and cognitive impairment, is caused by several factors, but 50-70% of dementia is due to Alzheimer’s. There is no effective treatment or drug yet, so the best method is to slow the progression of the disease through early diagnosis.
Accordingly, the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology’s Bio-Nano Research Center and Konyang University Medical School joint research team announced on the 11th that they had developed a method for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease with only a blood test. The results of this study were published in ‘Biocens and Bioelectronics’, an international academic journal in the field of analytical chemistry.
Currently, the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is to ask medical staff or measure the accumulation of amyloid-beta protein or tau protein, known as the causative agent of Alzheimer’s. There is a problem that it is not easy to understand the exact progress of the doctor’s interview, and the patient’s discomfort is great because the cerebrospinal fluid must be drawn to measure the accumulation of dementia protein in the brain. For this reason, various studies are being conducted to find a method that can accurately diagnose the patient while reducing the discomfort of the patient.
The research team focused on the fact that microRNA (miRNA) can easily cross the blood-brain barrier, so analyzing it can indirectly determine the degree of brain disease. As a result of analyzing the blood of Alzheimer’s patients, the research team confirmed that miR-574, one of the miRNAs, increased significantly, unlike the general population.
The research team has developed a kit that can detect genes with high sensitivity by attaching a fluorescent signal amplifying material to the hydrogel. If fluorescence occurs when blood is analyzed with this kit, it can be seen that the possibility of Alzheimer’s is high.
Eunkyung Lim, Ph.D., Biotechnology Research Institute, said, “Although the existing Alzheimer’s test has the disadvantage that it can only be done after the dementia has already progressed for a long time, this study can help with effective treatment and patient care by quickly identifying abnormal symptoms with only a blood test.”
Reporter Yoo Yong-ha