Skin test for Alzheimer's disease

'Dr Khan and Dr Albion's results look very promising, although only a limited number of patients and controls were analysed.

It has become relatively common in Europe and in the USA to do a lumbar puncture and analyse cerebro spinal fluid for biomarkers that has been reported to provide a diagnosis within 85% certainty, but UK specialists feel that it is a very invasive procedure difficult to justify. If a successful skin test can be developed and proven to provide the same or better accuracy then that would be a big step forward.

The development of accurate and reliable diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's disease is critically important. It encourages early diagnosis and gives people time to prepare and plan for the future.

Following these results, further research is now required to test whether an effective skin test can be developed to test people with memory problems for early Alzheimer's disease.'

Dr Susanne Sorensen
Head of research