This Blood Test Detects Alzheimer's in Just 3 Hours

                A low-cost biochip based blood test that can identify people at a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease in just three hours has been developed. A study showed that the test, which allows multiple tests to be run on one blood sample, was accurate as existing molecular tests that analyse DNA. This is the first time that researchers have used this technology to test for an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. This can empower patients to understand risks, consider medication. This test detects the presence of protein in the blood produced by a specific variation of apolipoprotein gene (ApoE4), which is associated with increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The apolipoprotein gene is inherited from each parent and when a patient inherits the ApoE4 variant from one parent they have a three times greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s, whereas a patient who inherits ApoE4 from both parents is 8-to-12 times more likely to develop the disease.