SCL launches blood test for early detection of Alzheimer's disease

SCL (Seoul Clinical Laboratories) will launch the first blood-based mass spectrometry test for Alzheimer's disease in Korea next month, opening a new chapter in the early diagnosis of dementia.

The new test measures amyloid beta, known to accumulate 10 to 20 years before the onset of dementia, and can predict the risk of the disease even before symptoms appear. As treatments for Alzheimer's disease are expected to become available, the test could help identify early progression and allow for appropriate treatment or prevention measures.

This predictive test for Alzheimer's disease also has the potential to significantly reduce patient burden. Compared to conventional cerebrospinal fluid tests or amyloid PET scans, it is much simpler and noninvasive, requiring only a small amount of blood, making it cost-effective.

It combines immunoprecipitation and ultra-precision mass spectrometry (IP-LC-MS/MS) to measure accurately the ratio of amyloid beta 42 (Aß 42) to amyloid 40 (Aß 40) in the blood, the leading cause of Alzheimer's disease.

Studies have shown that the lower this ratio is, the higher the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Previously, the concentration of amyloid beta in the blood was too low to measure accurately. However, combining the two technologies can analyze it down to minute levels, with a high sensitivity of 91 percent.

The advanced test method was first developed by Quest Diagnostics, a global testing company based in the United States. It has won recognition for its reliability from leading medical institutions in the U.S., including Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University Hospitals.

“Being able to predict the risk of Alzheimer's disease early with a blood test is a breakthrough,” SCL Diagnostic Laboratory Director Lee Mi-kyung said. “Regular testing will be very useful to monitor the progression of the disease and respond early.”

Alzheimer's disease has become a serious societal problem with the growing elderly population. According to the Central Dementia Center, 10.2 percent of people 65 and older (about 920,000 Koreans) had dementia in 2022, and 50-70 percent of these cases are known as Alzheimer's disease dementia.

The death rate from Alzheimer's disease dementia has also increased 3.4 times over 10 years, with 22.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, according to Statistics Korea.

Recognizing this seriousness, the government is introducing a primary care physician system for dementia management and expanding customized dementia support services as part of the 2024 Dementia Project.

SCL said its Alzheimer's disease precision prediction test is expected to have a great synergy effect with the government's dementia prevention and management policies.