A finger-prick blood test that can be mailed to a lab may offer a simpler way to detect the brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study.
Researchers tested whether tiny samples of blood dried onto paper cards — similar to those used in newborn heel-prick screening for rare, but serious inherited conditions — could reliably measure biomarkers linked to the memory-robbing disease. The approach avoids needles, centrifuges and refrigerated transport, all of which complicate current testing and limit its use outside specialist clinics.
The key finding reported Monday in the journal Nature Medicine was ...