People over 60 now have access to a blood test for Alzheimer's disease
30 November 2020
A non-COVID medical breakthrough: People over 60 now have access to a blood test for Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matters: The existing PET brain scan test costs some people about $5,000 and often isn't covered by insurance, AP reports.
- Both the blood test and the brain scan are looking for a buildup of a protein called beta-amyloid, which combined with symptoms like memory loss can lead to a dementia diagnosis.
- The test hasn't received FDA approval, and it's being sold under rules for commercial labs.
The big picture: Roughly 5.5 million Americans may have Alzheimer's-induced dementia, the NIH reports.
- Earlier diagnoses can't stop the disease, the NIH notes, but treatments can prolong the period before people lose the ability to function on their own.
Between the lines: C2N Diagnostics of St. Louis, which is selling the test and seeking FDA approval, hasn't published any data on the test's accuracy, AP notes.
- Company promotional materials cite results comparing the test to PET brain scans.
- If a PET scan showed amyloid buildup, the blood test also gave a high probability of that in 92% of cases and missed 8% of them.
- If the PET scan was negative, the blood test ruled out amyloid buildup 77% of the time. The other 23% got a positive result. Published research suggests it may detect amyloid buildup before it’s evident on scans.
The other side: Heather Snyder of the Alzheimer’s Association told the AP the organization won’t endorse a test without FDA approval.
The bottom line: “It’s not a cure, it’s not a treatment, but you can’t treat the disease without being able to diagnose it," Alzheimer's researcher Dr. Michael Weiner told the N.Y. Times when the research was first published.
- "And accurate, low-cost diagnosis is really exciting, so it’s a breakthrough."
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.