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Understanding Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration: Ultrasensitive detection techniques pave the way for mechanistic understanding

Nature Medicine volume 21, pages 217–219 (2015)Cite this article

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New methods for detecting indications of neurodegeneration are necessary to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases. In identifying suitable biomarkers that can be monitored by these techniques, the pathogenic mechanisms that lead to these diseases may also be elucidated.

In neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer disease (AD), it is difficult (or impossible) to obtain sample tissue to directly visualize pathology in the central nervous system (CNS). Furthermore, accurate diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease based only on clinical examination is challenging, especially in early clinical stages. Therefore objective measures of pathogenic processes that can be used to evaluate disease risk or prognosis, guide clinical diagnosis, or monitor treatment effects—in other words, biomarkers—are essential.

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Figure 1: Current and future biomarkers for Alzheimer disease (AD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kaj Blennow and Henrik Zetterberg are at the Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.,

    Kaj Blennow

  2. Henrik Zetterberg is also at the University College London Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK.,

    Henrik Zetterberg

Authors
  1. Kaj Blennow
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  2. Henrik Zetterberg
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Correspondence to Kaj Blennow.

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Competing interests

H.Z. and K.B. are listed as co-inventors on a US patent application (Q0052.70018US00) for plasma tau as a brain injury marker. K.B. has served on advisory boards for Eli Lilly, Kyowa Kirin Pharma, Pfizer and Roche. No other disclosures are reported.

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Blennow, K., Zetterberg, H. Understanding Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration: Ultrasensitive detection techniques pave the way for mechanistic understanding. Nat Med 21, 217–219 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3810

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