Dye to pinpoint Alzheimer's in brain scan coming
A radioactive dye that can rightly pinpoint Alzheimer’s disease has been developed by Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc.
The investigational dye called florbetapir, when injected to the patient during brain scanning procedure, helps the doctors to specifically determine the Alzheimer’s disease, according to an abstract of the study released at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s disease in Honolulu.
If the florbetapir hits the market, it will become the first tool to make a definitive diagnosis on Alzheimer’s in the last 100 years.
Alzheimer’s disease is linked with the deposition of protein plaques called beta amyloid in various regions of the brain. Currently, there are no specific screening tests or scientific tools exist to map out the regions of the brain affected by the devastating neurodegenerative disease.
The presence of the disease is normally confirmed through the analysis of the sufferer’s brain after his/her death. The researchers scanned the brains of patients with a life expectancy of less than six months using florbetapir dye.
On analysis of the brain after the patient’s death, they found a strong correlation between plaques found in the tissues and the places imaging suggested the occurrence of beta amyloid protein. Avid will release full results from the first subjects in the Phase III trial showing the correlation.
Avid is a leading company in the development of novel molecular imaging compounds intended for the early detection and monitoring of significant chronic human diseases.