Originally Published IVD Technology April 2002
DNA bank may hold key to Alzheimer's diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) costs the United States more than $100 billion per year with no relief in sight. Age 65 and over is the fastest-growing group in the country, and the need to diagnose and find a cure for late-onset AD has never been more pressing.
Now, a researcher at the Medical College of Georgia (Augusta, GA) has started compiling DNA samples for a repository that promises to shed some light on the dementia disease that affects millions of people. Shirley Poduslo, PhD, is creating a DNA bank from Alzheimer's patients living in Georgia and South Carolina and their extended families, with plans to analyze the collected data to determine genetic precursors of late-onset AD.
The Alzheimer's DNA bank is not Poduslo's first. She is continuing work conducted during her tenure as director of basic research for the department of neurology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (Lubbock, TX). At Texas Tech, Poduslo established a DNA bank of more than 500 patients from Texas, including 15 extended families. Using this DNA bank, she found flaws on chromosomes 19, 12, and 3.
In addition to collecting patient blood samples for the DNA bank, Poduslo also analyzes key factors such as the age of onset of first symptoms, gender, and disease progression up through final autopsy analysis.
There are currently no diagnostic tests for AD. Although APOE 4 has been identified as a risk factor, it cannot be used on its own for AD diagnosis. Poduslo plans to identify the mutated genes and then correlate all of the data. She believes the disease will eventually be categorized in subdivisions according to various factors.
"I think we're going to find multiple causes of Alzheimer's disease," Poduslo says. "That subdivision will help physicians optimize treatment."
Neil Buckholtz, PhD, chief of the Dementias of Aging branch at the National Institute on Aging (Bethesda, MD), says early diagnosis could have a number of ramifications for both patients and researchers. "First, people can make decisions about their future before it's too late. And most importantly, it would aid in the development of drugs that can delay the onset or prevent it altogether before damage in the brain has been done," he says.
"The disease may begin altering the brain 10, 15, or even 20 years before a patient begins exhibiting symptoms," adds Buckholtz. "By identifying AD patients from the start, we can study the mechanisms behind the disease and begin to develop medications."
Approximately 4 million people in the United States suffer from AD, and Buckholtz says it's estimated that 14 million people will be afflicted with the disease by 2050 unless ways are found to prevent it. Poduslo has high hopes that there will be a breakthrough in AD research in the near future.
"As the baby boomers age, we're going to have a national crisis on our hands," says Poduslo. "But there's so much Alzheimer's research going on, I think we'll see tremendous results in the next five years."
For further information about the DNA bank, contact Dr. Shirley E. Poduslo, Medical College of Georgia, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, 1120 15th St., Augusta, GA 30912, or visit the Web site at http://www.mcg.edu/alzres.
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