Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and related dementias affect more than 55 million people worldwide, a number expected to double by 2050 as populations age. Beyond its devastating personal toll, dementia costs the global economy more than $1.3 trillion a year.

​​​​​​​AD is, among all the ailments that afflict humanity, perhaps the most terrifying: a disease that robs a person of their identity and disintegrates their relationships; for which there is no proven treatment or cure; and that can last for years, requiring enormous sums of money to ensure that many patients have specialized or round-the-clock care.

AD is the most common form of dementia that attacks neurons in the brain, resulting in memory loss, cognitive impairment, and behavioral changes. The disease disrupts the brain’s communication network, eventually destroying neuronal synapses and killing neurons.

People with one copy of the ApoE4 gene variant have two to four times as much risk of developing Alzheimer’s as people without the variant, and people with two copies of ApoE4 have about 10 times the risk. That risk appears to be larger in women. Carriers of ApoE4 also have a greater chance of developing symptoms at a younger age. About 25 percent of people have one copy of ApoE4; about 3 percent have two copies.​​​​

Traditional Alzheimer's diagnostics rely on a combination of methods: cognitive testing, cerebrospinal fluid analysis through lumbar puncture, and brain imaging such as positron emission tomography (PET) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Despite being effective in specialized settings, these tools have significant limitations, resulting in an estimated 75% of dementia cases going undiagnosed worldwide.

For example, brain PET scans can cost between $1,200 and $10,900 in the United States. Lumbar punctures are invasive and burdensome for patients. Cognitive tests require specialists and may be subjective. Misdiagnosis is also a concern. Alzheimer's can be confused with other dementias, depression, or even normal aging, especially when specialized testing is unavailable.

The NeuraMetrix TC digital biomarker was first validated for detecting and monitoring patients with Parkinson’s Disease and Huntington's disease. Based on these encouraging results, clinical studies are now ongoing to validate the use of this passive digital biomarker for several other indications, including AD.

Our digital biomarker looks promising for:

• Early detection of AD
  
• Monitoring long-term effects of some general treatments for AD - in advance of the development of effective AD drugs

"We can likely not defeat Alzheimer’s without this technology."

- Dr. Robert W. Mahley, M.D. Ph.D.
Senior Investigator, President Emeritus and Founder, Gladstone Institutes, Senior Investigator, Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Professor of Pathology and Medicine, University of California San Francisco, Chairman, NeuraMetrix’ Scientific Advisory Board