Scientists create test to slow down the onset Alzheimer’s disease
The low-cost gene test could help slow down the onset of dementia by allowing early treatment
PEOPLE who suffer bouts of forgetfulness will be able to check their likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s with a simple new test.
Scientists have developed a gene test which allow them to prescribe drugs and brain exercises to slow down the onset of the disease.
Scientists claim it could help everyone to discover their risk of developing the condition by the time they are 60.
More than 850,000 people in Britain are thought to have Alzheimer’s Disease, which is a form of dementia, and one case is diagnosed approximately every three minutes.
Catching the condition early enough for drugs and memory exercises in crucial.
But until now, the only reliable way of diagnosing the condition used by the NHS is £1,500 brain scan or a £700 procedure which involves drilling in to the brain and draining a small amount of brain fluid.
The new test will be unveiled by Oxford-based biotechnology company, Cytox, at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto this weekend.
Costing just a few hundred pounds involves scouring small samples of DNA for genetic variants.