Test that identifies in the blood the risk of Alzheimer’s

A research team of Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) and of Network Biomedical Research Center (CIBER-ICIII)in collaboration with the biocross biotechnological company, they have developed ‘E4quant‘, an innovative blood test that allows you to quickly and precisely identify people from the APOE4 genetic variant, the main risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

Within the framework of the new World Alzheimer’s Daywhich was held on September 21, the ISCIII has reported on this research published in the magazine ‘Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy‘.

According to its authors, the New Test, based on a simple and easily implementable biochemical technique in hospital laboratories, offers an accessible, economical and greater sensitivity and specificity to traditional genotyped.

“Its results They show high precision To differentiate between carriers and not carriers, and thanks to the quantification of the APOE4 protein, it allows to distinguish between heterozygous and homozygous carriers of E4, an information that facilitates the study of genetic features associated with the risk of disease. The ability of this new tool allows to improve the risk assessment against Alzheimer’s, facilitates the study of new therapeutic strategies called anti -river, and opens new paths to prevent potential adverse effects of treatments, “says researchers.

In addition, the results confirm that a subgroup of the people analyzed in the study presents unexpectedly low levels of APOE4, which raises new questions about the possible biological heterogeneity of this gene and its possible impact on the biology of Alzheimer’s disease.

Towards more personalized treatments

Miguel CaleroISCIII researcher at the Functional Research Unit in Chronic Diseases (UFIEC) And main author of the study, explains that the ‘E4quant’ test in a promising tool to advance diagnosis and treatments against Alzheimer’s, thus minimizing possible complications associated with the presence of the APOE4 variant.

As he adds, the research “exemplifies the value of public-private collaboration in biomedical research, combining the efforts of the public and business sector to move towards a more personalized and safe medicine in neurodegenerative diseases.”

The research team, in which researchers also participate in the Ramón y Cajal Hospital From Madrid and its Health Research Institute (Irycis), it points out that more studies are needed to investigate the clinical importance of variability in the expression of APOE E4 and its impact on the progression of the disease and the response to treatment.

Almost 24 million euros for research projects

Also, from the ISCIII they have reported that, between 2018 and 2025, a total of 140 aid by value of 23.9 million euros For Alzheimer’s research projects (this year’s figures are still provisional).

Most of these grants correspond to the call for R&D projects in Health (PI) of the Strategic Health Action (AES) of the ISCIII, and are also distributed among the calls for Technological Development in Health (DTS), International Collaboration (AC), Independent Clinical Research (ICI) and personalized medicine projects (PMP).

In addition, the ISCIII annually finances the Neurological Disease Research Center (Foundation one hundred) and the Network Biomedical Research Center (CIBER), which has a specific area on neurodegenerative diseases.

The ISCIII also has different laboratories working on neurological diseases – and, specifically, Alzheimer’s – all of them in the functional research unit in chronic diseases (UFIEC).