01 Sep Inflammatory Biomarkers May Presage Development of Alzheimer’s
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Prof. Paul Morgan
Professor B. Paul Morgan
Director, Systems Immunity Research Institute
Institute of Infection and Immunity
School of Medicine
Cardiff University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Inflammation is a normal response of the body to infection or injury; however, it is well known that inflammation also has a dark side and when it escapes normal controls can cause disease. Some illnesses, like rheumatoid arthritis, have been known for many years to be caused by rogue inflammation and most of the drugs used to treat work by suppressing the inflammation (anti-inflammatories). More recently, it has become clear that inflammation is behind many other diseases that were previously thought of as diseases of ageing caused by wear and tear and lifestyle – these include heart disease and some brain diseases, notably Alzheimer’s disease the commonest cause of dementia. Evidence that inflammation is one of the drivers of disease has come from many sources, including some where it was noticed that people on long-term anti-inflammatory drugs for other reasons appeared to be protected from developing Alzheimer’s disease.
A problem is that Alzheimer’s disease, despite the name, is not a single disease but rather a group of conditions with similar symptoms, and inflammation is likely to be a cause in only some of the patients; further, most of the inflammation might be occurring very early in the disease, even before symptoms are obvious. So, there is an urgent need for a simple test or set of tests that can be used in individuals with the very earliest hints of Alzheimer’s disease – mild memory loss – that will pick out those who have brain inflammation and are most likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. It might then be possible to treat this select group with anti-inflammatory drugs that will reduce brain inflammation and slow or stop progression of the disease.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: We looked at a system called “complement”, a set of proteins in the blood that are important in driving inflammation. We measured complement proteins in the blood of individuals with mild memory loss and then followed them up; some (about 1 in 4) progressed quite quickly to develop Alzheimer’s disease, while the others did not. Looking back at the tests done at first visit, we found that three of the complement proteins were different in the two groups and when looked at together these three tests gave a strong indication as to whether or not an individual would progress to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: This is a preliminary study to test the possibility that a blood test looking at markers of inflammation might help us identify early patients with brain inflammation that can progress to Alzheimer’s disease. The work needs to be repeated by others in different patient groups and the test reported is unlikely to be the best – indeed, we are already working to refine the test.
If the findings are repeated in other groups then the prospect of a relatively simple blood test to detect brain inflammation and predict risk of disease moves closer. Importantly, such a test would help us select the most appropriate patients for clinical trials of anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: As with all scientific reports, the work needs to be reproduced elsewhere and in much larger patient groups. The test set reported is unlikely to be the best for the purpose and further refinement, including inflammation markers not related to complement, is needed going forward.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Complement Biomarkers as predictors of disease progression in Alzheimer’s disease
Hakobyan, Svetlanaa | Harding, Katharineb | Aiyaz, Mohammedc | Hye, Abdulc | Dobson, Richardc | Baird, Alisond | Liu, Benjamined | Harris, Claire Louisea | Lovestone, Simond | Morgan, Bryan Paula; *
Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, vol. Preprint, no. Preprint, pp. 1-10, 2016
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
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Last Updated on September 1, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD