NEW research by a West Cork consultant neurologist will examine if blood tests can identify the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people with Down syndrome.
The research is being undertaken at Tallaght University Hospital and will be led by Dr Antoinette O’Connor, who is from Coachford.
Dr O’Connor hopes this new study will also support future investigation of whether new medications to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s could be effective for those with Down syndrome.
People with Down syndrome have a significant risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
‘We are entering a new era in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment. For the first time, there are therapies that can slow disease progression. Frustratingly, people with Down syndrome have been routinely excluded from AD drug trials, despite urgent clinical need in this population. Therefore, we do not know if these potentially life-altering treatments work in people with Down syndrome.’
Recently new drugs have come on stream which have been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s for those in the early stages of the disease.
The challenge for doctors is to determine if individuals with Down syndrome can also benefit from these treatments.
In order to properly test these treatments, there will need to be carefully designed studies.
Traditional tests, cerebrospinal fluid sampling, and brain scans are invasive and expensive, therefore it would be easier for participants if blood tests could be used to detect and track potential treatment effects
‘Robust clinical trials involving those with Down syndrome will need to be undertaken to track the changes in them caused by Alzheimer’s disease. These measures of change are called biomarkers. Blood tests represent an ideal AD biomarker as they are cheap, accessible and repeatable,’ said Dr O’Connor.
Dr O’Connor’s new research study will ascertain what blood tests are the most promising for the detection of AD in Down syndrome. The research will also examine the role of inflammation in driving AD onset. Investigating the role of inflammation in AD could also open up new treatment avenues.
Tallaght University Hospital deputy chief John Kelly said the research can result in medical breakthroughs which can lead to the discovery of life-changing treatment.
‘We at TUH are delighted to host this cutting-edge study as Dr O’Connor and her team strive to improve care for Down syndrome patients with Alzheimer’s,’ he said.
