Recent developments in disease modifying therapies have been proven to slow the progression of cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
And yet, we can only confirm a diagnosis of AD after a patient’s death.
But what if we could use biomarkers to identify preclinical stage Alzheimer’s and step in long before a patient exhibits dementia?
On this episode of Inside the Lab, your host, Ms. Kelly Swails, MT(ASCP) introduces us to Dr. Shih-Hsiu Jerry Wang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Duke University School of Medicine, and shares his talk on emerging biomarkers for the assessment of Alzheimer’s disease from the ASCP 2023 Annual Meeting.
Dr. Wang explains how we measure AD right now and why there’s discordance between the clinical presentation and pathology of Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Wang walks us through the core biomarkers for identifying AD per the AT(N) framework, describing the pros and cons of current detection methodologies and offering recommendations around when to use blood biomarkers versus PET imaging or CSF.
Listen in for insight into the ongoing search for better AD biomarkers and learn what we are doing to diagnose Alzheimer’s in its early stages and intervene accordingly.
Topics Covered
· The clinical definition of Alzheimer’s disease and how it impacts cognitive function
· How we measure Alzheimer’s in pathology by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
· Why there’s discordance between the clinical presentation and pathology of AD
· The core biomarkers for identifying Alzheimer’s disease per the AT(N) framework
· Identifying the stages of AD based on amyloid plaque, pathologic tau and neurodegeneration
· Examples of PET imaging for the different stages of AD and how imaging biomarkers predict cognitive decline
· The limitations of fluid biomarkers vs. imaging biomarkers to detect Alzheimer's disease
· Some of the emerging ultrasensitive biomarker detection methods in development for AD
· Using cerebral spinal fluids (CSF) vs. plasma biomarkers to identify Alzheimer's disease
· A comparison of the mass spectrometry vs. SIMOA methods of analyzing p-tau biomarkers
· Why Dr. Wang suggests blood biomarkers for AD screening (with confirmation by PET or CSF)
· Why SNAP-25, NfL and GFAP are not considered core biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease
· The ongoing search for better biomarkers and ultrasensitive detection methods for AD
Connect with ASCP
ASCP
ASCP on Facebook
ASCP on Instagram
ASCP on Twitter
Connect with Dr. Wang
Dr. Wang at Duke University
Connect with Ms. Swails
Ms. Swails on Twitter
Resources
Dr. Wang’s Slides from the ASCP Annual Meeting 2023
‘NIA-AA Research Framework: Toward a Biological Definition of Alzheimer’s Disease’ in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association
Inside the Lab in the ASCP Store
Special Episode: Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR) Testing and Targeted Therapy in Prostate Cancer
Special Episode: CRC Biomarkers and the Impact on Patients’ Lives
Special Episode:How Advances in Treatment for NSCLC and Melanoma Impact the Laboratory
S4Ep2: The FDA’s Proposed Rule on Laboratory Developed Tests
S4Ep1: Patient-Centered Care from a Laboratory Perspective
S3Ep15: Strategies for Promoting DEI in the Lab
S3Ep14: Mentorship in the Medical Laboratory
S3Ep13: A Storied Career in Gynecologic Pathology—featuring Dr. Elvio Silva
S3Ep12: Transitioning to Leadership Outside the Laboratory
S3Ep11: 10 Lab Safety Issues That Put You at Risk
S3EP10: Saved by the Lab: A LIVE ‘90s Trivia Contest
S3Ep9-Sometimes It’s a Zebra: Unusual Cases in the Microbiology Lab
S3Ep8: Amplifying the Voice of Pathology in the AMA
S3Ep7: Everything You Need to Know About RISE
Special Episode: Castleman's Disease
S3Ep6:Leadership Institute Book Club: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
S3Ep5: Sometimes It’s a Zebra: Unusual Cases in Surgical Pathology—with Dr. Cesar Moran
S3Ep4: Leading Laboratories
The Molecular Biomarker Revolution in Metastatic NSCLC
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Relaxback UK Show
Good Nurse Bad Nurse
On Call With Dr. Anselm Anyoha
The Doctor’s Farmacy with Mark Hyman, M.D.
The Peter Attia Drive