Amyloid-beta (1-40) CSF ELISA

In 2010, the number of dementia patients worldwide was estimated at 36 million. Assuming an ongoing lack of sufficient preventive and curative treatments, this is expected to double every 20 years. Alzheimer’s Disease accounts for roughly 60-70% of all dementia cases. Both prevalence and incidence increase with age. Prevalence is around 1% in those aged 65-69, and more than 30% in those aged 90 or older. The development of the Disease is characterized by three stages, as defined by the US National Institute on Aging workgroups. A preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s Disease, the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage due to AD, and the dementia stage due to AD [9-11]. Amyloidosis occurs as early as the preclinical stage. The first cognitive deficits can manifest themselves in MCI stage, while in the dementia stage patients are unable to do any work or daily chores. The concentration of amyloid-beta (1-42) is therefore recognized as a useful biomarker (in combination with other biomarkers such as Tau and Phospho-Tau) in diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease. Moreover, a number of independent studies (for example [3-5]) showed the ratio of amyloid-beta (1-42) to amyloid-beta (1-40) to be a superior diagnostic marker for Alzheimer’s Disease.