Lönneborg Anders
DiaGenic ASA, Oslo, Norway.
Mol Diagn Ther. 2008;12(5):307-20. doi: 10.1007/BF03256296.
Alzheimer disease is the most common cause of dementia, yet its clinical diagnosis remains uncertain until an eventual postmortem histopathology examination. Currently, therapy for patients with Alzheimer disease only treats the symptoms; however, it is anticipated that new disease-modifying drugs will soon become available.Diagnostic tools for detecting Alzheimer disease at an incipient stage that can reliably differentiate the disease from other forms of dementia are of key importance for optimal treatment. Biomarkers have the potential to aid in a correct diagnosis, and great progress has been made in the discovery and development of potentially useful biomarkers in recent years. This includes single protein biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid, as well as multi-component biomarkers, and biomarkers based on gene expression. Novel biomarkers that use blood and urine, the more easily available clinical samples, are also being discovered and developed. The plethora of potential biomarkers currently being investigated may soon provide biomarkers that fulfill different functions, not only for diagnostic purposes but also for drug development and to follow disease progression.
阿尔茨海默病是痴呆症最常见的病因，然而在最终进行尸检组织病理学检查之前，其临床诊断仍不明确。目前，针对阿尔茨海默病患者的治疗仅能缓解症状；不过，预计不久将会有新的疾病修饰药物问世。能够在早期阶段可靠地将阿尔茨海默病与其他形式的痴呆症区分开来的诊断工具对于优化治疗至关重要。生物标志物有助于正确诊断，近年来在发现和开发潜在有用的生物标志物方面已取得了重大进展。这包括脑脊液中的单一蛋白质生物标志物、多组分生物标志物以及基于基因表达的生物标志物。利用血液和尿液（更易获取的临床样本）的新型生物标志物也正在被发现和开发。目前正在研究的大量潜在生物标志物可能很快会提供具有不同功能的生物标志物，不仅用于诊断，还可用于药物研发以及跟踪疾病进展。
