Analytical aspects of molecular Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.
In general, a biomarker has multiple uses such as a diagnostic tool and a method to monitor therapy. The quality of a biomarker depends on how big the difference is between, for example, patients and healthy controls, but also on the capacity of the method used to measure it (the uncertainty in the method should be much less than the difference between the groups). A good biomarker should also be specific towards a disease, allowing for differentiation between clinically related syndromes. In addition, it is of importance that the stability of the methods used is high enough to establish cut-off levels both in individual laboratories and on a global scale. In the field of Alzheimer's disease, there are currently three cerebrospinal fluid markers that have been verified in multiple studies and the analytical aspects of measuring them will be discussed.
Institute of Neuroscience & Physiology, Department of Psychiatry & Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden. ulf.andreasson@neuro.gu.se
Ulf
U
Andreasson
Eugeen
E
Vanmechelen
Leslie M
LM
Shaw
Henrik
H
Zetterberg
Hugo
H
Vanderstichele
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000592:standards; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000592:standards; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000592:standards; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011786:Quality Control; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000592:standards
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42); D016875:tau Proteins