Siemens Medical Solutions has announced that it will begin clinical trials under an investigational new drug (IND) application submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a breakthrough imaging biomarker that could potentially identify Alzheimer’s disease prior to the onset of noticeable symptoms.
“The clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is not definitive, but when it occurs, it is frequently late in the disease progression,” said Dr Jorge R Barrio, professor of medical and molecular pharmacology, UCLA, and coinventor of the imaging biomarker. “This means that physicians would treat the disease only after it had already caused brain damage and impaired the patient’s memory and daily functioning.
Use of this biomarker technology may provide physicians with an early diagnostic tool and information in order to help identify susceptible individuals and allow for the early start of a treatment plan before symptoms appear.”
