State of the Market: Early Detection Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease

Screening for early, subtle signs of Alzheimer’s becomes important as pharmaceutical companies shift focus to drug candidates that may prevent or slow buildup of amyloid beta protein in the brain.

Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s, or a method to significantly slow disease progression, continues to be a very challenging goal for stakeholders. A common theme emerging from both completed and ongoing clinical trials is the need for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, either in the pre-clinical or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) phase.

An increased research focus on validating methods of testing for Alzheimer’s disease has yielded a number of approaches for detecting disease markers before obvious cognitive impairment symptoms appear. These testing approaches can be broadly segmented into brain imaging tests, neurocognitive tests, cerebrospinal fluid tests, genetic tests, and the future possibility of blood serum tests.

Companies listed in the report include Pfizer (PFE), Merck (MRK), Eli Lilly (LLY), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Roche-Genentech (RHHBY), GE Healthcare (GE), Philips (PHG) Siemens (SI), Positron Corporation (POSC), NeuroTrax, and CogState (CGS.AX).
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