Alzheimer's blood test can measure disease's progress

SCIENTISTS have developed a blood test for Alzheimer's that can measure how far the disease has progressed.

- By Stephen Beech

It could mean that patients receive personalised treatment and possibly crucial therapy in the earlier stages.

Several tests for the condition are already available, including two based on technology and licensed from the Washington University School of Medicine. While these help doctors diagnose Alzheimer's in people with symptoms, they don't indicate the degree of impairment in thinking or memory.

Current therapies are most effective in the early stages of the disease