As Doctor Pundit has always reported in this space, the driver of current Alzheimer disease research has been via biomarkers — the naturally occurring by-products (in this case, abnormal proteins found as the disorder shows initial symptoms and develops) of the body’s normal physiological processes in any organ system. In this case, the system studied is the body’s omniscient powerhouse, the central nervous system. The latest game-changing news is what can be gleaned via the cerebrospinal fluid obtained from within the spinal cord.

Researchers report that a spinal fluid test can be 100 percent accurate in identifying patients with significant memory loss who are on their way to developing Alzheimer’s disease. [...] A lot of work lies ahead, researchers say — making sure the tests are reliable if they are used in doctors’ offices, making sure the research findings hold up in real-life situations, getting doctors and patients comfortable with the notion of spinal taps, the method used to get spinal fluid.

The invasive nature of the spinal tap is a barrier, but the overarching point here is that biomarker research is gaining ground and setting the stage for extremely targeted therapies. All of this talk — even in the past 2 to 3 years — has largely been conjecture. At least until now. Exciting news. | LINK

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